38 Orange County Schools Recognized as ‘Distinguished Schools’

Newland Elementary School in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Dec. 6, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Thirty-eight Orange County elementary schools made this year’s California Distinguished Schools Program, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced Jan. 6.

“California Distinguished Schools represent examples of not just excellent teaching, learning, and collaboration, but also highly successful, data-driven school efforts ranging from professional development for educators to mental health and social-emotional wellness strategies to address the needs of students and families,” Thurmond said in a statement.

The elementary schools are among 350 across the state awarded for their work in either closing the achievement gap or student performance, according to the state Department of Education. There are nearly 6000 elementary schools in the state, according to the department.

Schools are selected based on their performance in several indicators—such as assessment results, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, and socioeconomic data—using statistics from the California School Dashboard.

The 38 elementary schools in Orange County that were selected for the program were in the following districts: Brea-Olinda Unified, Capistrano Unified, Centralia Elementary, Cypress Elementary, Fountain Valley Elementary, Fullerton Elementary, Garden Grove Unified, Huntington Beach City Elementary, Los Alamitos Unified, Orange County Department of Education, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, Tustin Unified, Westminster Elementary, and Irvine Unified.

Irvine Unified Superintendent Terry Walker, whose district has six schools on the list, celebrated the achievement.

“To have a single California Distinguished School in your district is cause for celebration. To have six in one year is outstanding,” Walker said in a Jan. 10 statement.

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified’s Superintendent Michael Matthews congratulated his district for having four schools make the grade.

“This recognition reflects our district’s commitment to being a dynamic learning community that works to prepare all students for success now and in the future,” Matthews said in a Jan. 9 statement.

California’s Distinguished Schools Program, established in 1985, returned this year after COVID-19 lockdowns temporarily paused reporting of state and local school data, according to the state’s education department.

Elementary schools and secondary schools are recognized by the program in alternating years.