Orinda Intermediate School Earns 'National Blue Ribbon' Honor

ORINDA, CA — Orinda Immediate School was awarded "National Blue Ribbon School" status Friday — a U.S. Department of Education honor for academic success that was bestowed on 297 schools nationwide for 2022.

The recognition is based on overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps — an award that affirms the work of students, educators, families and communities, the department said.

The schools will be formally honored in early November by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona at a ceremony in Washington D.C.

"Blue Ribbon Schools have gone above and beyond to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional and mental health needs," Cardona said during his "Road to Success Back to School" bus tour. "These schools show what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students’ lives.”

Orinda Intermediate, which serves 824 middle school students in grades 6-8, was among 29 schools in California to receive the honor this year.

“Congratulations to the students, educators, families, and educators that make up these outstanding, vibrant, and affirming school communities,” said Tony Thurmond, superintendent of schools for the state of California. “As we continue to recover from the pandemic, this award validates the hard work of educators across the state on behalf of our students. Their commitment to meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of all their students has helped transform the lives of students during extraordinary circumstances.”

Orinda Intermediate was one of 11 Bay Area schools recognized, including Ralston Intermediate School in Belmont, Burlingame Intermediate School in Burlingame, Eleanor Murray Fallon School and Harold William Kolb School in Dublin, Thomas S. Hart Middle School in Pleasanton, Lawton Alternative School in San Francisco, and Coyote Creek Elementary School, Gale Ranch Middle School, Iron Horse Middle School and Windemere Ranch Middle School in San Ramon.

During its 39-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has given approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools. Along with the recognition, the selected "model schools" are presented with National Blue Ribbon School flags for display at campus entryways or on flagpoles, officials said.

The U.S. Department of Education makes its decision on award-winning schools based on one of two performance categories for student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:

• Exemplary High-Performing Schools are among the state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools are among the state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.

Orinda Intermediate was recognized in the Exemplary High-Performing School category.

SEE ALSO: 9 Lamorinda Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists