Lakes math teacher Marcus Ross wins Milken Educator Award
Lakes Middle School math teacher Marcus Ross smiles as he is celebrated by his colleagues after receiving a Milken Educator Award, a surprise that was announced during a school assembly this morning. "He deserves this award," Ross' student Sade Hoston said. "He's an amazing teacher."
DEVIN WEEKS/Press
COEUR d'ALENE — Lakes Middle School eighth grade and Advanced Learning Program math teacher Marcus Ross has won a Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national honor that recognizes exceptional teachers for their dedication to excellence in teaching.
Along with being awarded an honor that is considered the "Oscar of Teaching," Ross received an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize.
The surprise announcement was made this morning in the Lakes gym, where district, municipal and state dignitaries joined Lakes students and staff in celebrating Ross.
"I'm shocked and I'm honored and still trying to think of words," Ross said with a laugh. "It's very much an honor."
Ross, a former Lakes student, is a 2014 Lake City High School graduate. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in elementary education with an endorsement in mathematics from Boise State University in 2019.
"The moment I heard my name as the recipient of the Milken Educator Award, I instantly looked at, really, my students — the students around me who were cheering for me, my Kind Club students who were surrounding me who helped me get here," he said. "They're amazing."
Ross was honored as part of the Milken Family Foundation’s 2024-2025 Milken Educator Awards season. The tour will honor up to 45 pioneering professionals coast to coast, marking the 3,000th Milken Educator in the Awards’ ranks.
This season will reach more than $75 million in individual cash prizes since the program's inception in 1987 and over $145 million invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall, empowering recipients to “Celebrate, Elevate and Activate” the K-12 profession.
Ross is the 21st Idaho educator to earn the Milken Educator Award, three of whom are in the Coeur d'Alene School District.