A total of 245 Orange County schools and 18 school districts have been recognized on the 2026 California Honor Roll, which highlights public schools and districts demonstrating strong academic performance and progress in closing achievement gaps.
The annual list, announced Oct. 19 by the nonprofit Educational Results Partnership, recognizes schools and districts based on student achievement, academic improvement over time and efforts to narrow achievement gaps among historically disadvantaged student populations.
This year’s honorees represent the top-performing 24 percent of schools and 22 percent of districts statewide, according to the organization. The rankings draw on California’s Smarter Balanced assessment results from 2024 through 2026.
“We use these data to shine a light on schools achieving success with all students served, understand what drives their results, and explore how those successes can be replicated,” said Alex Barrios, president and CEO of Educational Results Partnership.
Now in its 12th year, the Honor Roll is part of a statewide effort involving business and education leaders to recognize academic achievement and identify practices that support student success.
The complete list of recognized schools and districts is available at honorrollschools.com.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- A data security breach involving a California Department of Education testing contractor may have exposed sensitive student information statewide, prompting notifications to affected families and an offer of two years of free identity-protection services.
- A total of 29 Orange County elementary and middle schools earned 31 placements among California’s top 100 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 rankings, led by Jack L. Weaver Elementary at No. 10 and Oxford Academy at No. 3 in their respective categories.
- As Red Ribbon Week approaches Oct. 23-31, OCDE has updated its online toolkit with drug prevention resources and activities to help schools promote healthy choices while honoring the legacy of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who inspired the national campaign.
- OCDE will host its fourth annual College and Career Pathways in the Arts event Jan. 14 at Irvine Valley College, connecting Orange County high school students with colleges, universities and industry professionals to explore educational opportunities and careers in creative fields.
- Capistrano Unified schools resumed regular schedules Monday, Oct. 19, following precautionary early dismissals prompted by the Norte Fire.
- Ocean View School District is exploring plans to redevelop two closed Huntington Beach elementary school sites into housing for district employees and other residents, with proposals also including green spaces and community amenities.
- Fullerton School District has expanded its free Breakfast in the Classroom program to Pacific Drive Elementary, providing morning meals to about 600 students as part of an initiative supported by a No Kid Hungry grant.
- OCDE’s Mental Health and Wellness unit has earned a California School Boards Association Golden Bell Award for its WellSpace Initiative, which has established 80 supportive spaces serving nearly 90,000 students across Orange County.
- New immigrant student enrollment has declined sharply in several California school districts, prompting some to scale back newcomer programs and reassign staff as schools grapple with broader enrollment declines and funding challenges.
- Dana Hills High School alumnus Dr. Devyn Gibby, now a family medicine physician, returned to campus as principal for a day nearly 20 years after recovering from a rare autoimmune disorder that left him temporarily paralyzed during his junior year.
- A new UC Berkeley study found that children who benefited from California’s early preschool and transitional kindergarten expansions performed the equivalent of 11 months ahead in reading and eight months ahead in math by third and fourth grade, with particularly strong gains among some low-income students.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom faces a year-end decision on whether California will participate in a new federal school choice program that could fund private school scholarships and public school services such as tutoring, amid concerns about oversight, equity and the potential impact on public education.
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