State Superintendent Tony Thurmond in Washington, D.C., to Honor California’s 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C.—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond congratulated the principals of California’s National Blue Ribbon School winners today at an award ceremony in Washington, D.C., calling out the long-term positive outcomes they have created for students during very challenging times. California boasts the largest number of public school National Blue Ribbon winners in the nation. Additionally, Thurmond met with Miguel Marco, principal of Wittmann (Helen) Elementary School in Cerritos, who was honored as one of the nine recipients of the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership.

“These California schools have done amazing things to address the education opportunity gap,” Thurmond said. “They are helping us learn, model, and develop refined strategies to scale success and innovation all across our great state. I am so glad the U.S. Department of Education recognized our 29 California Blue Ribbon schools today, and let me also say thank you to our awardees for their persistent hard work in creating a better environment for California students every day.”

“You are all such huge points of pride for this entire country,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said, speaking at the ceremony. “You are the beacons of hope, the beacons of light, you show what’s possible in your communities, and you make the Department of Education and, in fact, our nation so very proud. You are the shining examples of what’s possible for our peers around the country that are looking for answers, looking for what’s possible, and seeing what can happen when a community discovers what it cares about and puts its hearts and minds into action and delivers on the hope and promise of education.”

More information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is available on the U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon Schools web page .

California’s National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2022

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

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