Mission Viejo School Receives National Blue Ribbon Honor

MISSION VIEJO, CA —The De Portola Elementary School in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District was one of seven schools in Orange County named a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School when the list was revealed by U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Tuesday.

California had 28 schools on the list, which means that Orange County had 25 percent of the state's recognized schools.

The other Orange County Schools on the list were:

• Anaheim Hills Elementary School in the Orange Unified School District
• Los Alamitos Elementary School, Los Alamitos Unified School District
• Lee Elementary School, Los Alamitos Unified School District
• Los Coyotes Elementary School in the Centralia Elementary School District
• Davis Magnet School in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District
• Oka Elementary School in the Fountain Valley Elementary School District

A total of 325 schools from across the U.S. earned National Blue Ribbon honors based on overall academic performance and their progress in closing achievement gaps, according to the National Blue Ribbon Schools program.

"Orange County is producing a generation of scholars and setting a new standard for excellence by making a commitment to supporting the academic, behavioral and social-emotional needs of all students," said Dr. Al Mijares, Orange County superintendent.

Mijares continued: "To represent a quarter of California's Blue Ribbon award-winners is nothing short of astonishing, and we couldn't be prouder of the educators, students, families and local stakeholders who made this possible."

Cardona, the U.S. education secretary, said this year's Blue Ribbon winners managed to achieve their academic goals despite the global pandemic.

"In the face of unprecedented circumstances, you found creative ways to engage, care for, protect and teach our children," Cardona said. "Blue Ribbon Schools have so much to offer and can serve as a model for other schools and communities so that we can truly build back better."

According to its literature, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program was established in 1982 to honor educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content. The organization said it has presented about 10,000 awards to 9,000 top-ranked schools.

A full list of this year's Blue Ribbon winners is available on the Blue Ribbon Schools website.