Add another 38 California Distinguished Schools to Orange County’s long list of educational accolades.
On Thursday, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced that 293 middle and high schools had earned the distinction, considered the highest level of recognition for schools. With its latest additions, OC has now won 874 awards since the program began in 1985.
Overseen by the California Department of Education, the California Distinguished Schools program singles out schools that excel in two key areas: closing the achievement gap and delivering exceptional student performance. The selection process leans on data from the 2023 California School Dashboard, focusing on academic achievement and a positive school environment.
Awards are handed out alternately to elementary and secondary schools each year, allowing the recognized schools to hold the title for two years.
These are OC’s newly minted Distinguished Schools for 2024:
- Cypress High School, Anaheim Union High School District
- John F. Kennedy High School, Anaheim Union High School District
- Lexington Junior High School, Anaheim Union High School District
- Magnolia High School, Anaheim Union High School District
- Oxford Academy, Anaheim Union High School District
- Buena Park Middle School, Buena Park Elementary School District
- Bernice Ayer Middle School, Capistrano Unified School District
- Carl Hankey Middle School, Capistrano Unified School District
- Esencia Middle School, Capistrano Unified School District
- Las Flores Middle School, Capistrano Unified School District
- Marco Forster Middle School, Capistrano Unified School District
- Niguel Hills Middle School, Capistrano Unified School District
- Masuda (Kazuo) Middle School, Fountain Valley Elementary School District
- Fullerton Union High School, Fullerton Joint Union High School District
- Sonora High School, Fullerton Joint Union High School District
- Hilton D. Bell Intermediate School, Garden Grove Unified School District
- Sarah McGarvin Intermediate School, Garden Grove Unified School District
- Ethel Dwyer Middle School, Huntington Beach City Elementary School District
- Jeffrey Trail Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
- Northwood High School, Irvine Unified School District
- South Lake Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
- Venado Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
- Oak Middle School, Los Alamitos Unified School District
- Sharon Christa McAuliffe Middle School, Los Alamitos Unified School District
- Rancho-Starbuck Intermediate School, Lowell Joint School District
- Corona del Mar High School, Newport-Mesa Unified School District
- Estancia High School, Newport-Mesa Unified School District
- Canyon High School, Orange Unified School District
- El Rancho Charter School, Orange Unified School District
- Santiago Middle School, Orange Unified School District
- Kraemer Middle School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
- La Paz Intermediate School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
- Mission Viejo High School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
- Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
- Legacy Magnet Academy, Tustin Unified School District
- Pioneer Middle School, Tustin Unified School District
- Tustin High School, Tustin Unified School District
- Helen Stacey Middle School, Westminster School District
High achievement, accelerated growth
Again, schools are spotlighted in two categories. Those granted the distinction for exceptional student performance stand out for their assessment scores in English and math, along with low suspension rates, and, for high schools, high graduation rates.
Schools recognized specifically for closing the achievement gap all have populations with at least 40 percent of their students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition to demonstrating high achievement in English and math, they must show accelerated academic growth for one or more historically underserved student groups.
“Excellent middle schools and high schools play a critical role in the life outcomes of our young people,” State Superintendent Thurmond said in a news release. “This year’s California Distinguished Schools celebration provides us with an opportunity to recognize the hard work of our secondary educators and school staff who help our young adults discover passions and access college- and career-ready experiences that will propel them through life.”
All of this year’s honorees are set to be celebrated at a ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim on May 3, 2024. They’ll be joined by 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools, 2023 Civic Learning Award Schools, and 2023 and 2024 California Exemplary Dual Enrollment Award Schools.
For more information on the distinguished schools program, visit the CDE’s California Distinguished Schools webpage.