It was among 336 elementary schools statewide recognized with the prestigious award.
Maggie Fusek, Patch Staff
|Updated Wed, Mar 26, 2025 at 8:33 pm PT
AMERICAN CANYON, CA — Representatives from a school in the Napa Valley Unified School District are going to Disneyland!
Donaldson Way Elementary School in American Canyon was named a California Distinguished School on Wednesday by state Superintendent Tony Thurmond. The prestigious California Distinguished Schools Program recognizes two categories of exceptional schools: those Closing the Achievement Gap and those demonstrating Exceptional Student Performance.
This year, more than 300 California schools were selected for the recognition and will be recognized during the California School Recognition Program Awards Ceremony May 30 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.
“It is my pleasure to honor and recognize these 336 elementary schools for their efforts to provide exemplary public education to all students. Excellent elementary schools play a critical role in the life outcomes of our young people,” Thurmond said. “This year’s California Distinguished Schools celebration provides us with an opportunity to recognize the hard work of our elementary educators and school staff who help our students discover passions and experiences that will propel them.”
The California Distinguished Schools Award remains one of the state’s most important ways to celebrate exceptional schools, districts, teachers, and classified employees for their innovation, talent, and success in supporting students.
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California Distinguished Schools hold the title for two years, as the program recognizes elementary schools and middle and high schools in alternate years.
The California Department of Education uses multiple measures to identify eligible schools based on their performance on the state indicators as specified on the California School Dashboard. Specifically, schools were selected by analyzing data reported through the 2024 Dashboard, with a focus on demonstrating excellence and growth in academic achievement and ensuring a positive school climate.
Schools recognized for Closing the Achievement Gap like Donaldson Way Elementary have demonstrated exemplary growth for student groups that have experienced persistent achievement gaps and have also demonstrated strong overall outcomes for all students. To qualify for a Closing the Achievement Gap recognition, schools must enroll at least 40 percent of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and have demonstrated exceptional growth in English language arts (ELA) or math to close persistent achievement gaps.
The school must have also achieved a “blue” or “green” status on the Dashboard for all students’ ELA achievement, math achievement, chronic absenteeism, and suspension indicators, or have received a “yellow” indicator that demonstrates a significant increase from prior years’ achievement on those indicators. To certify the legitimacy of these results, schools must have ensured that 95 percent of students participated in statewide assessments for the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 school years.
The Dashboard for Donaldson Way Elementary showed a green status for its suspension indicator, meaning no students were suspended, and yellow indicators for achieving significant progress in all other areas.
Schools recognized for Exceptional Student Performance are among the highest in overall student achievement while also showing strong indicators of student engagement and a positive school climate.
To qualify for an Exceptional Student Performance recognition, schools must have achieved among the highest levels of ELA and math achievement for all students and must have also achieved a “blue” or “green” status on the Dashboard for one or more of the following indicators: all students’ ELA achievement, math achievement, suspension indicator, or chronic absenteeism indicator. Schools cannot have received a “red” or “orange” status on any Dashboard indicator. To certify the legitimacy of these results, schools must have ensured that 95 percent of students participated in statewide assessments for the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 school years.
Information regarding the 2024 Dashboard is provided on the CDE California School Dashboard and System of Support web page.
See the complete list of 336 schools for 2025 on CDE's California Distinguished Schools Program web page.