In 2001, BCSD earned the prestigious Empire State Advantage Excellence at Work Gold Award.  The ESA Gold Award was given to school districts that develop sound, forward-looking administrative and instructional practices.  BCSD was the first city school district in the history of the program to achieve this level of recognition.

Binghamton High School is continually ranked among the top 800 high schools in the nation, as calculated by the Challenge Index Directory of Best Performing IB/AP High Schools in America.  The Challenge Index is published annually in Newsweek Magazine.

In 1988, the Binghamton City School District made the decision to pursue accreditation of all ten of its schools, which included the entire kindergarten through grade 12 program.  

After two years of self-study and review, the district earned accreditation, meeting rigorous standards set by the Assembly of Elementary Schools and the Commission of Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.  The acceditation process consisted of:

1. Registering as a candidate and creating a local steering committee to lead the district's effort.
2. Conducting an extensive self-study.
3. Creating an action plan for improvement based on the results of the self-study.
4. Allowing an outside team of school and education experts to visit and evaluate the schools and the self-study.

In November, 2001, the District received re-accreditation from the Middle States Association.