Sacramento, CA…State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that 193 middle schools and 180 high schools have been honored under the state’s new Gold Ribbon Schools Awards Program, which is temporarily taking the place of the California Distinguished Schools Program.

“These schools are academically successful, vibrant, and innovative centers of learning and teaching,” Torlakson said. “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 California Gold Ribbon Schools Award was created to honor schools in place of the California Distinguished Schools Program, which is on hiatus while California creates new assessment and accountability systems.

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.

The Gold Ribbon awards recognize California schools that have made gains in implementing the academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education. These include, the California Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, California English Language Development Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards.

In addition to being chosen as Gold Ribbon Schools, 38 schools were given an additional honor of being selected as having an Exemplary Program in Arts Education, Career Technical Education, or Physical Activity and Nutrition. Schools had to apply separately for these honors, which will be denoted on the list below by a symbol that corresponds to their program. The awards, introduced in 2013, reflect Torlakson’s goals outlined in his A Blueprint for Great Schools report, which provides direction for California’s education system.

Additionally, Gold Ribbon awardees that are also Title I schools were recognized as Academic Achieving Schools and are identified as such on the list. This additional recognition is given only to schools receiving federal Title I funds that assist in meeting the educational needs of students living at or below the poverty line.

The Gold Ribbon schools as well as the Exemplary Program recipients, Title I Academic Achieving Schools, 2015 Green Ribbon Schools, 2015 Civic Learning Award Schools, and the National Blue Ribbon Honorees from 2014 will be recognized later this month during regional ceremonies held in Sacramento, San Diego, Visalia, and San Francisco.

Please visit the California Gold Ribbon Schools Program on the California Department of Education’s Web site.

The CDE California School Recognition Program is presented by San Mateo-based California Casualty.

The 2015 California Gold Ribbon Schools

* These schools received an additional award for their Exemplary ARTS Program.
+ These schools received an additional award for their Exemplary Career Technical Education Program.
^ These schools received an additional award for their Exemplary Physical Education and Nutrition Program.
• These schools received an additional award for being a Title I Academic Achieving School.