OC School Earns 'National Blue Ribbon' Honors

IRVINE, CA — One schools in Orange County, was awarded "National Blue Ribbon Schools" 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.

Woodbridge High School in Irvine was named among 28 other California secondary schools.

"Congratulations to the students, families, and educators that make up these outstanding, vibrant and affirming school communities," Superintendent Tony Thurmond said. "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."

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.”

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 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.

Here's a complete list of California schools that won the high honor.

• Foothills Middle School, Arcadia Unified School District (Arcadia)
• Ralston Intermediate School, Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District (Belmont)
• Burlingame Intermediate School, Burlingame Elementary School District (Burlingame)
• Carmenita Middle School, ABC Unified School District (Cerritos)
• Wittmann (Helen) Elementary School, ABC Unified School District (Cerritos)
• Woods (Harold L.) Elementary School, Clovis Unified School District (Clovis)
• Diamond Bar High School, Walnut Valley Unified School District (Diamond Bar)
• Eleanor Murray Fallon School, Dublin Unified School District (Dublin)
• Grapeland Elementary School, Etiwanda Elementary School District (Etiwanda)
• Granite Ridge Intermediate School, Clovis Unified School District (Fresno)
• Woodbridge High School, Irvine Unified School District (Irvine)
• Helix High School, Grossmont Union High School District (La Mesa)
• Newcomb Academy, Long Beach Unified School District (Long Beach)
• Orinda Intermediate School, Orinda Elementary Union School District (Orinda)
• Thomas S. Hart Middle School, Pleasanton Unified School District (Pleasanton)
• Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (Rolling Hills Estates)
• Richardson PREP HI Middle School, San Bernardino City Unified School District (San Bernardino)
• Westview High School, Poway Unified School District (San Diego)
• Arma J. Shull Elementary School, Bonita Unified School District (San Dimas)
• Lawton Alternative Elementary School, San Francisco Unified School District (San Francisco)
• Coyote Creek Elementary School, San Ramon Valley Unified School District (San Ramon)
• Gale Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley Unified School District (San Ramon)
• Iron Horse Middle School, San Ramon Valley Unified School District (San Ramon)
• Windemere Ranch Middle School, San Ramon Valley Unified School District (San Ramon)
• South Pasadena Middle School, South Pasadena Unified School District (South Pasadena)
• Colfax Charter Elementary School, Los Angeles Unified School District (Valley Village)
• Kester Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles Unified School District (Van Nuys)