SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today named an additional 121 schools as 2021 California Distinguished Schools. In an announcement on March 18, the California Department of Education (CDE) awarded the honor to 102 schools and today that list has been broadened to include 120 additional California senior high schools and one more middle school.
The California Department of Education (CDE) identifies and awards eligible schools based on performance and progress on state indicators specified on the California School Dashboard, the state’s accountability and continuous improvement system. Indicators include test scores, suspension rates, and conditions and climate. After a review of the data, CDE identified these additional schools for this year’s honor.
“These additional high schools join the ranks of all 2021 California Distinguished Schools who are being recognized for this distinction because of their exceptional record to provide for all students and their commitment to data-driven efforts that prepare students for college and career,” Thurmond said. “Our thanks go to the entire communities surrounding these schools, including the teachers, administrators, and classified employees as well as the students and their families who, through teamwork, all accomplished this impressive achievement together.”
Sponsored by the CDE and presented by California Casualty, the Distinguished Schools Program recognizes schools for their excellent work in one of two categories: closing the achievement gap and achieving exceptional student performance. Elementary schools and middle and high schools are recognized in alternate years; therefore, awardees hold the title for two years. The list of additional schools is attached at the end of this press release.
Distinguished Schools represent examples of not just excellent teaching, learning, and collaboration, but also highly successful, data-driven school efforts ranging from professional development to positive behavior intervention.
To view the full list of 2021 California Distinguished Schools and for more program information, please visit the CDE California Distinguished Schools web page.
Additional 2021 California Distinguished Schools
| County | District | School |
| Alameda | Alameda Unified | Alameda High |
| Alameda | Alameda Unified | Alameda Science and Technology Institute |
| Alameda | Fremont Unified | John F. Kennedy High |
| Alameda | New Haven Unified | James Logan High |
| Alameda | Oakland Unified | Oakland School for the Arts |
| Alameda | Oakland Unified | Oakland Unity High |
| Alameda | Pleasanton Unified | Amador Valley High |
| Alameda | Pleasanton Unified | Foothill High |
| Contra Costa | Acalanes Union High | Acalanes High |
| Contra Costa | Acalanes Union High | Campolindo High |
| Contra Costa | Acalanes Union High | Miramonte High |
| Contra Costa | John Swett Unified | John Swett High |
| Contra Costa | San Ramon Valley Unified | California High |
| Contra Costa | San Ramon Valley Unified | Dougherty Valley High |
| Contra Costa | San Ramon Valley Unified | Monte Vista High |
| Contra Costa | West Contra Costa Unified | Middle College High |
| Fresno | Clovis Unified | Clovis North High |
| Fresno | Fresno Unified | Design Science Middle College High |
| Fresno | Fresno Unified | Phillip J Patino School of Entrepreneurship |
| Fresno | Fresno Unified | University High |
| Fresno | Kings Canyon Joint Unified | Reedley High |
| Fresno | Kings Canyon Joint Unified | Reedley Middle College High |
| Los Angeles | ABC Unified | Richard Gahr High |
| Los Angeles | Alhambra Unified | Mark Keppel High |
| Los Angeles | Alhambra Unified | San Gabriel High |
| Los Angeles | Antelope Valley Union High | SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) |
| Los Angeles | Covina-Valley Unified | South Hills High |
| Los Angeles | El Segundo Unified | El Segundo High |
| Los Angeles | Glendale Unified | Anderson W. Clark Magnet High |
| Los Angeles | Hawthorne | Hawthorne Math and Science Academy |
| Los Angeles | Lawndale Elementary | Environmental Charter High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Alliance Collins Family College-Ready High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Alliance Leichtman-Levine Family Foundation Environmental Science High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Alliance Marc & Eva Stern Math and Science |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Alliance Margaret M. Bloomfield Technology Academy High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Alliance Tennenbaum Family Technology High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Downtown Business High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Ednovate – USC Hybrid High College Prep |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Granada Hills Charter High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Grover Cleveland Charter High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | High Tech LA |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | John Marshall Senior High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Linda Esperanza Marquez High A Huntington Park Institute of Applied Medicine |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Math and Science College Preparatory |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Math, Science, & Technology Magnet Academy at Roosevelt High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Orthopaedic Hospital |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | PUC Lakeview Charter High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Social Justice Leadership Academy at Esteban E. Torres High No. 5 |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | STEM Academy at Bernstein High |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles Unified | Taft Charter High |
| Los Angeles | Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified | Palos Verdes Peninsula High |
| Los Angeles | Rowland Unified | John A. Rowland High |
| Los Angeles | Torrance Unified | North High |
| Los Angeles | Torrance Unified | South High |
| Los Angeles | Whittier Union High | La Serna High |
| Los Angeles | Whittier Union High | Pioneer High |
| Los Angeles | William S. Hart Union High | Academy of the Canyons |
| Los Angeles | William S. Hart Union High | Golden Valley High |
| Los Angeles | William S. Hart Union High | West Ranch High |
| Los Angeles | William S. Hart Union High | William S. Hart High |
| Los Angeles | Wiseburn Unified | Da Vinci Science |
| Marin | Tamalpais Union High | Tamalpais High |
| Monterey | Carmel Unified | Carmel High |
| Nevada | Nevada Joint Union High | William & Marian Ghidotti High |
| Orange | Anaheim Union High | John F. Kennedy High |
| Orange | Capistrano Unified | Aliso Niguel High |
| Orange | Fullerton Joint Union High | Troy High |
| Orange | Garden Grove Unified | La Quinta High |
| Orange | Irvine Unified | Northwood High |
| Orange | Irvine Unified | University High |
| Orange | Newport-Mesa Unified | Early College High |
| Orange | Ocean View | Vista View Middle |
| Orange | Santa Ana Unified | Middle College High |
| Orange | Tustin Unified | Arnold O. Beckman High |
| Placer | Rocklin Unified | Whitney High |
| Placer | Roseville Joint Union High | Antelope High |
| Placer | Roseville Joint Union High | Granite Bay High |
| Placer | Roseville Joint Union High | Oakmont High |
| Riverside | Alvord Unified | Hillcrest High |
| Riverside | Corona-Norco Unified | John F. Kennedy High |
| Riverside | Desert Sands Unified | Palm Desert High |
| Riverside | Lake Elsinore Unified | Temescal Canyon High |
| Riverside | Perris Union High | Paloma Valley High |
| Sacramento | Elk Grove Unified | Pleasant Grove High |
| Sacramento | Folsom-Cordova Unified | Folsom High |
| Sacramento | Folsom-Cordova Unified | Vista del Lago High |
| Sacramento | Natomas Unified | Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep |
| Sacramento | Sacramento City Unified | West Campus |
| San Bernardino | Fontana Unified | Summit High |
| San Bernardino | Redlands Unified | Redlands Senior High |
| San Bernardino | San Bernardino City Unified | Middle College High |
| San Diego | Carlsbad Unified | Sage Creek High |
| San Diego | Escondido Union High | Classical Academy High |
| San Diego | San Diego Unified | Kearny Digital Media & Design |
| San Diego | San Diego Unified | Mira Mesa High |
| San Diego | San Diego Unified | Scripps Ranch High |
| San Diego | San Dieguito Union High | Canyon Crest Academy |
| San Diego | San Dieguito Union High | Torrey Pines High |
| San Diego | San Marcos Unified | Mission Hills High |
| San Diego | Sweetwater Union High | Hilltop Senior High |
| San Diego | Vista Unified | Mission Vista High |
| San Francisco | San Francisco Unified | Lowell High |
| San Joaquin | Stockton Unified | Health Careers Academy |
| San Joaquin | Stockton Unified | Stockton Early College Academy |
| San Joaquin | Tracy Joint Unified | Merrill F. West High |
| San Mateo | Sequoia Union High | Carlmont High |
| Santa Clara | Campbell Union High | Branham High |
| Santa Clara | East Side Union High | Evergreen Valley High |
| Santa Clara | East Side Union High | KIPP San Jose Collegiate |
| Santa Clara | Fremont Union High | Cupertino High |
| Santa Clara | Fremont Union High | Monta Vista High |
| Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz County Office of Education | Pacific Collegiate Charter |
| Shasta | Anderson Union High | West Valley High |
| Solano | Fairfield-Suisun Unified | Angelo Rodriguez High |
| Sonoma | Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified | Credo High |
| Tulare | Tulare County Office of Education | University Preparatory High |
| Ventura | Oak Park Unified | Oak Park High |
| Ventura | Oxnard Union High | Rancho Campana High |
The California Department of Education is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. For more information, please visit the California Department of Education’s website. You may also follow Superintendent Thurmond on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
