MODERN SALON Media has collaborated with the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS) to develop MODERN SALON’s Excellence in Education program. The purpose is to help the professional beauty school community gather, share and celebrate examples of great salon education experiences and beauty career development happening across the country.

In 2016, the crop of cosmetology schools entering the program brought plenty of benchmarks, measurable results and innovation into their application process.

“School pride and powerful results were very evident this year,” says MODERN SALON Editorial Director Michele Musgrove. “We are so impressed with the variety of top schools in the U.S. that entered MODERN SALON’s Excellence in Education 2016 program. We have chosen a select few that we believe show leadership and best practices that other schools can use to learn and grow.”

Honorees were determined based on key criteria in each category and grouped according to school size or whether or not they entered as a multi-unit school or single location. Two top honorees are recognized in each category—one individual school location and a multi-location school organization—and were announced Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, at the AACS Annual Convention & Expo in Orlando, Florida.

Schools could enter one or more of seven categories:

• Community Involvement

• Facilities

• Marketing Innovation

• Next Level: Alumni Programs

• Placement

• School Culture

• Technology

“On behalf of the entire professional beauty industry, we express gratitude that there are so many professional cosmetology schools continuing to do amazing and valuable work to shape the future of beauty," says MODERN SALON Publisher Steve Reiss. "The purpose of Excellence in Education is to make sure more of these great schools get the attention they deserve.”

2016 Excellence in Education Top Honorees in each category are listed below:

2016 Excellence in Education Top Honorees

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Individual location: The Salon Professional Academy, Appleton, WI
Multi-unit school: MC College, Edmonton, AB

FACILITIES
Individual location: Blake Austin College/Beauty Academy, Vacaville, CA
Multi-unit school: Tricoci University of Beauty Culture, Oak Brook, IL

THE NEXT LEVEL
Individual location: Aveda Institute Des Moines, Des Moines, IA
Multi-unit school: Bellus Academy, Poway, CA

MARKETING INNOVATION
Individual location: Avenue Five Institute, Austin, TX
Multi-unit school (three-way tie):
Paul Mitchell Schools, Sandy, UT
Aveda Institutes South, Hammond, LA
Ogle School, Arlington, TX

PLACEMENT
Individual location: Paul Mitchell the School Esani, Roswell, GA
Multi-unit school: Nurtur Aveda Institutes, Columbus, OH

SCHOOL CULTURE
Individual location: DiGrigoli School of Cosmetology, West Springfield, MA
Multi-unit school: Capri College, Dubuque, IA

TECHNOLOGY
Individual location: Penrose Academy, Scottsdale, AZ
Multi-unit school: Toni&Guy Hairdressing Academy, Costa Mesa, CA

To view the entire list of finalists, click here.