August 22, 2022

Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Elementary School Principals:

2023 California Distinguished Schools Award Program

The California Department of Education (CDE) and I are pleased to announce the 2023 California Distinguished Schools (DS) Award. As part of our California School Recognition Program, this is one of the many ways we celebrate excellence in education and honor exemplary students, teachers, classified employees, and schools.

The 2023 California DS Program will recognize California elementary schools that have proven exceptional in implementing the academic content and performance standards adopted by the California State Board of Education for all students. California is using a multiple measures accountability system to identify eligible schools based on their performance on the state indicators as specified on the California School Dashboard (Dashboard), to be released later this year. Information about the Dashboard is available on the CDE California School Dashboard web page at https://www.caschooldashboard.org.

In order to be recognized as a 2023 California Distinguished School, schools must meet the eligibility criteria. Eligible schools in the elementary school cycle will be selected based upon specific criteria within the following two categories: 1) Closing the Achievement Gap and 2) Exceptional Student Performance.

SAVE THE DATE: February 16, 2023

Schools named as 2023 California Distinguished Schools are invited to the California School Recognition Program Ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. Award winners and details for this event will be announced at a later date.

Information about the California DS Program is available on the CDE California DS Program web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/cs. If you have any questions about this program, please contact the Awards Unit in the CDE Communications Division at awards@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction

TT:pm

cc:       County Coordinators