Pleasant Hill, Calif. – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that 193 middle schools and 180 high schools in California have been selected as 2015 California Gold Ribbon Schools, an awards program which is temporarily taking the place of the California Distinguished Schools Program.
The program recognizes some of the state’s most exemplary public schools. Contra Costa County is home to 26 of the secondary schools selected, most of any county in northern California. The Gold Ribbon Schools in Contra Costa County are:
- Campolindo High, Acalanes Union High School District
- Las Lomas High, Acalanes Union High School District
- Miramonte High, Acalanes Union High School District
- Dozier-Libbey Medical High, Antioch Unified School District
- Excelsior Middle, Byron Union School District
- M.H. Stanley Middle, Lafayette School District
- Freedom High, Liberty Union High School District
- Heritage High, Liberty Union High School District
- Liberty High, Liberty Union High School District
- Alhambra High, Martinez Unified School District
- Martinez Junior High, Martinez Unified School District
- Concord High, Mt. Diablo Unified School District
- Foothill Middle, Mt. Diablo Unified School District
- Orinda Intermediate, Orinda Union Elementary School District
- California High, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- Charlotte Wood Middle, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- Diablo Vista Middle, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- Dougherty Valley High, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- Gale Ranch Middle, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- Iron Horse Middle, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- Los Cerros Middle, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- Monte Vista High, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- Pine Valley Middle, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- San Ramon Valley High, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- Windemere Ranch Middle, San Ramon Valley Unified School District
- De Anza High, West Contra Costa Unified School District
“We are very proud of the schools in our county being recognized for some amazing model programs,” said Karen Sakata, County Superintendent of Schools. “The Contra Costa County Office of Education continues to coordinate verification visits to all schools that qualified for the award, and our site visit teams were extremely impressed with what they observed at each of theses schools.”
Schools applied for the award based on a model program their school has adopted that includes standards-based activities, projects, strategies, and practices that can be replicated by other local educational agencies. The new award is recognizing middle and high schools this year and elementary schools in 2016.
“These schools are academically successful, vibrant, and innovative centers of learning and teaching,” Torlakson said of the 373 schools. “They provide great examples of the things educators are doing right—embracing rigorous academic standards, providing excellence and creativity in teaching, and creating a positive school climate.”
The Gold Ribbon Schools will be recognized later this month during regional ceremonies held in Sacramento, San Diego, Visalia, and San Francisco.
For more information, please go to the California Gold Ribbon Schools Program Web page.
For Tom Torklaksons press release, click here.
