Nearly 150 schools and 15 districts in Orange County have been announced as winners of a new state award celebrating innovative practices from the 2020-21 school year, when many California schools were transitioning back to in-person learning.
The 2022 California Pivotal Practice Award Program, or CAPP, was unveiled this year in place of the California Distinguished Schools program, which typically honors high-performing campuses.
“This accolade serves to validate the extraordinary steps our schools took to connect with and engage students during one of the most challenging years imaginable,” Orange County Superintendent Dr. Al Mijares said. “Our teachers, administrators and support staff went above and beyond to provide students with technology, healthy meals and emotional support, and their eagerness to collaborate and share best practices enabled schools across Orange County to be among the first in the state to reopen for on-site learning.”
Pandemic-era disruptions made it difficult last year for the state to collect consistent assessment data, which has served as the basis for the Distinguished Schools program. Working with partners in the education community, the California Department of Education created the CAPP Award to specifically honor schools and districts that designed and implemented unique learning opportunities and strategies during and after distance learning.
With testing back in place and most COVID-19 protocols lifted, the California Distinguished Schools list is expected to return in 2023.
Statewide, 727 schools and 121 school districts were recognized with CAPP awards this year after submitting online applications highlighting innovative practices in at least one of four target areas — student engagement, technology distribution, nutrition services, and social-emotional well-being.
Orange County, with its 148 school awards, accounts for about 20 percent of the total honors. We’ve posted the full list below.
“I’m incredibly proud of these schools and districts for their creativity, dedication, and innovation in the face of adversity,” State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said in a news release. “These schools led incredible efforts to engage students, distribute technology, provide meals, and support the social and emotional well-being of students during an incredibly difficult time for schools and families.”
Here’s the rundown of Orange County schools and districts that earned the accolade.
California Pivotal Practice District Awardees
| Anaheim Elementary School District |
| Brea-Olinda Unified School District |
| Buena Park School District |
| Centralia Elementary School District |
| Fountain Valley School District |
| Fullerton School District |
| La Habra City School District |
| Laguna Beach Unified School District |
| Los Alamitos Unified School District |
| Magnolia School District |
| Ocean View School District |
| Orange Unified School District |
| Savanna School District |
| Tustin Unified School District |
| Westminster School District |
California Pivotal Practice School Awardees
| Brea Olinda Unified | Brea Canyon High |
| Brea Olinda Unified | Brea Junior High |
| Brea Olinda Unified | Brea Olinda Unified Online Academy |
| Brea Olinda Unified | Falcon Academy of Science & Technology |
| Brea Olinda Unified | Laurel Elementary Magnet School of Innovation and Career Exploration |
| Brea Olinda Unified | Mariposa Elementary |
| Brea Olinda Unified | Olinda Elementary |
| Buena Park | Arthur F. Corey Elementary |
| Buena Park | Buena Park Middle |
| Buena Park | Carl E. Gilbert Elementary |
| Buena Park | Charles G. Emery Elementary |
| Buena Park | Gordon H. Beatty Middle |
| Buena Park | James A. Whitaker Elementary |
| Buena Park | Mabel L. Pendleton Elementary |
| Capistrano Unified | Bernice Ayer Middle |
| Capistrano Unified | Marco Forster Middle |
| Capistrano Unified | Oxford Preparatory Academy – South Orange County |
| Centralia Elementary | Buena Terra Elementary |
| Centralia Elementary | Centralia Elementary |
| Centralia Elementary | Danbrook Elementary |
| Centralia Elementary | George B. Miller |
| Centralia Elementary | Glen H. Dysinger Sr. Elementary |
| Centralia Elementary | Los Coyotes Elementary |
| Centralia Elementary | Raymond Temple Elementary |
| Centralia Elementary | San Marino Elementary |
| Cypress | Margaret Landell Elementary |
| Cypress | Vessels Elementary |
| Fountain Valley | Courreges (Roch) Elementary |
| Fountain Valley | Cox Elementary School |
| Fountain Valley | Fulton (Harry C.) Middle |
| Fountain Valley | Gisler Elementary |
| Fountain Valley | Isiojiro Oka Elementary |
| Fountain Valley | Masuda Middle |
| Fountain Valley | Plavan Elementary |
| Fountain Valley | Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle |
| Fountain Valley | Tamura (Hisamatsu) Elementary |
| Fullerton | Robert C. Fisler Elementary |
| Garden Grove Unified | Agnes Ware Stanley Elementary |
| Garden Grove Unified | Alamitos Intermediate |
| Garden Grove Unified | Bryant Elementary |
| Garden Grove Unified | C. C. Violette Elementary |
| Garden Grove Unified | Earl Warren Elementary |
| Garden Grove Unified | Faylane Elementary |
| Garden Grove Unified | Garden Grove High |
| Garden Grove Unified | Heritage Elementary |
| Garden Grove Unified | James Irvine Intermediate |
| Garden Grove Unified | John Marshall Elementary |
| Garden Grove Unified | Riverdale Elementary |
| Garden Grove Unified | Stanford Elementary |
| Huntington Beach City | Agnes L. Smith Elementary |
| Huntington Beach City | Ethel Dwyer Middle |
| Huntington Beach City | Huntington Seacliff Elementary |
| Huntington Beach City | John H. Eader Elementary |
| Huntington Beach City | Ralph E. Hawes Elementary |
| Huntington Beach City | S. A. Moffett Elementary |
| Huntington Beach Union High | Huntington Beach High |
| Huntington Beach Union High | Ocean View High |
| Huntington Beach Union High | Westminster High |
| La Habra City | Arbolita Elementary |
| La Habra City | El Cerrito Elementary |
| La Habra City | Las Lomas Elementary |
| La Habra City | Las Positas Elementary |
| La Habra City | Walnut Elementary |
| Los Alamitos Unified | Francis Hopkinson Elementary |
| Los Alamitos Unified | J. H. McGaugh Elementary |
| Los Alamitos Unified | Jack L. Weaver Elementary |
| Los Alamitos Unified | Los Alamitos Elementary |
| Los Alamitos Unified | Los Alamitos High |
| Los Alamitos Unified | Oak Middle |
| Los Alamitos Unified | Richard Henry Lee Elementary |
| Los Alamitos Unified | Rossmoor Elementary |
| Los Alamitos Unified | Sharon Christa McAuliffe Middle |
| Lowell Joint | El Portal Elementary |
| Lowell Joint | Jordan Elementary |
| Lowell Joint | Macy Elementary |
| Lowell Joint | Meadow Green Elementary |
| Lowell Joint | Olita Elementary |
| Lowell Joint | Rancho-Starbuck Intermediate |
| Newport-Mesa Unified | Early College High |
| Ocean View | Mesa View Middle |
| Ocean View | Oak View Elementary |
| Ocean View | Star View Elementary |
| Ocean View | Vista View Middle |
| Ocean View | Westmont Elementary |
| Orange County | College and Career Preparatory Academy (OCDE) |
| Orange County | Oxford Preparatory Academy – Saddleback Valley |
| Orange County | Unity Middle College High |
| Orange Unified | Anaheim Hills Elementary |
| Orange Unified | California iInspire Academy |
| Orange Unified | Fairhaven Elementary |
| Orange Unified | Fletcher Elementary |
| Orange Unified | Nohl Canyon Elementary |
| Orange Unified | Santiago Middle |
| Orange Unified | West Orange Elementary |
| Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified | Melrose Elementary |
| Saddleback Valley Unified | Glen Yermo Elementary |
| Saddleback Valley Unified | Lomarena Elementary |
| Saddleback Valley Unified | Melinda Heights Elementary |
| Saddleback Valley Unified | Portola Hills Elementary |
| Saddleback Valley Unified | San Joaquin Elementary |
| Saddleback Valley Unified | Trabuco Hills High |
| Santa Ana Unified | Douglas MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate |
| Santa Ana Unified | El Sol Santa Ana Science and Arts Academy |
| Santa Ana Unified | John Muir Fundamental Elementary |
| Savanna | Cerritos Elementary |
| Savanna | Hansen Elementary |
| Savanna | Holder Elementary |
| Savanna | Twila Reid Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Arnold O. Beckman High |
| Tustin Unified | Arroyo Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Barbara Benson Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Benjamin F. Beswick Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | C. E. Utt Middle |
| Tustin Unified | Columbus Tustin Middle |
| Tustin Unified | Foothill High |
| Tustin Unified | Guin Foss Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Helen Estock Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Heritage Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Hewes Middle |
| Tustin Unified | Hicks Canyon Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Ladera Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Legacy Magnet Academy |
| Tustin Unified | Loma Vista Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Myford Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Orchard Hills |
| Tustin Unified | Peters Canyon Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Pioneer Middle |
| Tustin Unified | Red Hill Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Robert Heideman Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Sycamore Magnet Academy |
| Tustin Unified | Tustin Connect |
| Tustin Unified | Tustin High |
| Tustin Unified | Tustin Memorial Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | Tustin Ranch Elementary |
| Tustin Unified | W. R. Nelson Elementary |
| Westminster | Ada Clegg Elementary |
| Westminster | Anderson Elementary |
| Westminster | Demille Elementary |
| Westminster | Eastwood Elementary |
| Westminster | Fryberger Elementary |
| Westminster | Helen Stacey Middle |
| Westminster | Johnson Middle |
| Westminster | Meairs Elementary |
| Westminster | Schmitt Elementary |
| Westminster | Schroeder Elementary |
| Westminster | Sequoia Elementary |
| Westminster | Webber Elementary |
| Westminster | Willmore Elementary |
Complete lists of the 2022 CAPP school awardees and CAPP district awardees are posted on the CDE website. More information about the CAAP Award, including the four target areas for innovation, can be found on the CAPP webpage.
Did we miss any Orange County schools or districts? Let us know by emailing communications@ocde.us.