2 Sonoma County Schools Selected As CA Distinguished Schools

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Representatives from two Sonoma County schools are going to Disneyland!

West Side Elementary School in Healdsburg and Roseland Elementary School in Santa Rosa were named California Distinguished Schools on Wednesday by state Superintendent Tony Thurmond. The prestigious California Distinguished Schools Program recognizes two categories of exceptional schools: those Closing the Achievement Gap and those demonstrating Exceptional Student Performance.

This year, more than 300 California schools were selected for the recognition and will be recognized during the California School Recognition Program Awards Ceremony May 30 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

“It is my pleasure to honor and recognize these 336 elementary schools for their efforts to provide exemplary public education to all students. Excellent elementary schools play a critical role in the life outcomes of our young people,” Thurmond said. “This year’s California Distinguished Schools celebration provides us with an opportunity to recognize the hard work of our elementary educators and school staff who help our students discover passions and experiences that will propel them.”

The California Distinguished Schools Award remains one of the state’s most important ways to celebrate exceptional schools, districts, teachers, and classified employees for their innovation, talent, and success in supporting students.

California Distinguished Schools hold the title for two years, as the program recognizes elementary schools and middle and high schools in alternate years.

The California Department of Education uses multiple measures to identify eligible schools based on their performance on the state indicators as specified on the California School Dashboard. Specially, schools were selected by analyzing data reported through the 2024 Dashboard, with a focus on demonstrating excellence and growth in academic achievement and ensuring a positive school climate.

Schools recognized for Closing the Achievement Gap, including both West Side and Roseland, have demonstrated exemplary growth for student groups that have experienced persistent achievement gaps and have also demonstrated strong overall outcomes for all students. To qualify for a Closing the Achievement Gap recognition, schools must enroll at least 40 percent of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and have demonstrated exceptional growth in English language arts (ELA) or math to close persistent achievement gaps.

The school must have also achieved a “blue” or “green” status on the Dashboard for all students’ ELA achievement, math achievement, chronic absenteeism, and suspension indicators, or have received a “yellow” indicator that demonstrates a significant increase from prior years’ achievement on those indicators. To certify the legitimacy of these results, schools must have ensured that 95 percent of students participated in statewide assessments for the 2022–23 and 2023–24 school years.

Roseland Elementary's Dashboard has a green indicator for its low suspension rate and yellow indicators for all other categories, showing significant, across-the-board achievement.

West Side Elementary School's Dashboard has green indicators for high mathematics achievement and low chronic absenteeism. The school has blue indicators for high achievement in English language arts and a low suspension rate.

Schools recognized for Exceptional Student Performance are among the highest in overall student achievement, while also showing strong indicators of student engagement and a positive school climate.

To qualify for an Exceptional Student Performance recognition, schools must have achieved among the highest levels of ELA and math achievement for all students and must have also achieved a “blue” or “green” status on the Dashboard for one or more of the following indicators: all students’ ELA achievement, math achievement, suspension indicator, or chronic absenteeism indicator. Schools cannot have received a “red” or “orange” status on any Dashboard indicator. To certify the legitimacy of these results, schools must have ensured that 95 percent of students participated in statewide assessments for the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 school years.

Information regarding the 2024 Dashboard is provided on the CDE California School Dashboard and System of Support web page.

See the complete list of 336 schools for 2025 on CDE's California Distinguished Schools Program web page.