Two Carmel Valley campuses receive national Blue Ribbon School award

Two Carmel Valley campuses received a top national honor for high-performing schools.

On Monday, Oct. 1, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos recognized Carmel Valley Middle School and the San Diego Jewish Academy Lower School as Blue Ribbon Schools for 2018. They were among 12 California campuses to receive the national honor.

According to the California Department of Education, students at Carmel Valley Middle School scored 93 points above the baseline for English language arts and 103 points above the baseline for math in 2017. During that year, 93 percent of English learners made progress toward English proficiency.

Its website states that it offers strong academics, flexible scheduling, integrated and exploratory curriculum, and an adult advocate for each child.

San Diego Jewish Academy Lower School, a private school also located in Carmel Valley, is not represented on the state school database. Its website states that the school offers comprehensive, personalized education.

“Our state-of-the-art facilities support deeper learning, and our intimate classroom environment inspires students to ask insightful questions and apply what they’ve learned to formulate real-life solutions,” the website stated.

The national Blue Ribbon award recognizes high performing schools in two categories, including those that receive top scores and high graduation rates across all student groups, and those that close the gap in test scores between subgroups of students, and the overall student body.

Both San Diego campuses received awards as “Exemplary High Performing Schools” with overall top scores across all student groups

“We recognize and honor your important work in preparing students for successful careers and meaningful lives,” U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said to the award recipients, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Education. “Congratulations on your students' accomplishments and for your extraordinary commitment to meeting their unique needs.”

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has operated for 36 years, and awarded honors to more than 8,800 schools. This year’s recipients will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 7 and 8.

-- Deborah Sullivan Brennan is a reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune