The Colorado School Awards Program was created during the 2000 Colorado General Assembly to recognize the highest-performing and most-improved public schools in the state, as determined by the School Accountability Reports. The John Irwin Award is named after a former state legislator. This annual award is given to the Colorado public schools that are in the top eight percent of School Accountability Report total scores for academic performance. Elementary, middle, and high schools can receive the John Irwin Award.