Foxboro Elementary in North Salt Lake and Morgan Elementary in Kaysville have earned a seal of approval from the French government for their French immersion programs.

The two Davis School District schools were among three Utah schools awarded the LabelFrancÉducation, a designation from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs recognizing high-quality French language education. Davis School District announced the recognition on Oct. 1.

Valérie Brisset, Consul General of France in San Francisco, traveled to Utah and presented the awards at a ceremony at the Utah State Capitol on Sept. 25, the Davis Journal reported.

To qualify, schools must teach in French for at least 20 percent of the school day. The designation must be renewed every five years.

Both schools use a fifty-fifty model, splitting the school day between French and English instruction. The district runs dual language immersion programs at both campuses for grades one through six.

At Foxboro, instruction includes French literacy and math in the lower grades, with science added along the way. By fourth grade, students learn literacy, grammar, science and social studies in French.

At Morgan, immersion students learn academic content in French alongside English instruction. The district's description of Morgan's program is less detailed than Foxboro's.

The program is growing. Foxboro sixth grader Norman Larson told the Davis Journal at the Sept. 25 ceremony that more than half of Foxboro's students are now in the French track. "I love saying that I speak two languages because it kind of makes me feel like I'm cool," Larson said.

Blake Ramsey, the French Embassy's representative at the Utah State Board of Education, said at the Sept. 25 ceremony that Utah has 37 French immersion programs. That is roughly the same number as Louisiana, a state with deep historical ties to France.

The programs feed into secondary pathways in both communities. Foxboro students continue French at Mueller Park or South Davis junior highs and then at Bountiful High School. Morgan students move to Fairfield Junior High and Davis High School.

The designation also unlocks access to French-language resources and funding for both campuses, according to the district. A third Davis County school, Odyssey Elementary in Woods Cross, runs a French dual language immersion program but was not among the three schools recognized.