State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Congratulates California Schools Recognized as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today congratulated 26 California public schools that have been chosen as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools. This prestigious award honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that close achievement and opportunity gaps and where students achieve high learning standards.

“Congratulations to these schools for creating safe and supportive school climates that set the tone for student achievement during what might be one of the most difficult times in education—and in our lifetimes,” Thurmond said. “I commend all of these schools for meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of all their students as well as finding creative ways to continue closing opportunity gaps during extraordinary circumstances.”

Schools are recognized based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. They are among their state’s highest performing schools based on all student scores, subgroup student scores, and graduation rates.

The award affirms the hard work of educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content. In its 39-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools.

Public schools are nominated by top education officials in each state, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education. More information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program can be found on the U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon Schools web page

California’s National Blue Ribbon Public Schools for 2021

County	District	School
Contra Costa	Lafayette Elementary School District	Burton Valley Elementary School
Fresno	Fresno Unified School District	University High School
Los Angeles	ABC Unified School District	Cerritos Elementary School
Los Angeles	La Cañada Unified School District	Palm Crest Elementary School
Los Angeles	La Cañada Unified School District	Paradise Canyon Elementary School
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Unified School District	Balboa Gifted/High Ability Magnet Elementary School
Los Angeles	Manhattan Beach Unified School District	Aurelia Pennekamp Elementary School
Los Angeles	San Marino Unified School District	Huntington Middle School
Marin	Ross Elementary School District	Ross Elementary School
Orange	Centralia Elementary School District	Los Coyotes Elementary School
Orange	Fountain Valley Elementary School District	Oka (Isojiro) Elementary School
Orange	Los Alamitos Unified School District	Los Alamitos Elementary School
Orange	Los Alamitos Unified School District	Richard Henry Lee Elementary School
Orange	Newport-Mesa Unified School District	Maude B. Davis Elementary School
Orange	Orange Unified School District	Anaheim Hills Elementary School
Orange	Saddleback Valley Unified School District	De Portola Elementary School
Riverside	Temecula Valley Unified School District	Red Hawk Elementary School
San Bernardino	Chino Valley Unified School District	Hidden Trails Elementary School
San Bernardino	Upland Unified School District	Valencia Elementary School
San Diego	Del Mar Union Elementary School District	Carmel Del Mar Elementary School
San Diego	San Diego Unified School District	Elevate School
San Francisco	San Francisco Unified School District	Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila
Santa Barbara	Goleta Union Elementary School District	Mountain View Elementary School
Santa Clara	Gilroy Unified School District	Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy
Sonoma	Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District	Technology High School
Ventura	Oak Park Unified School District	Oak Park High School

# # # #

Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Last Reviewed: Wednesday, December 27, 2023

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