Castaic Middle School has been honored with the state’s new Gold Ribbon School Award by the California Distinguished Schools Program.

State Superintendent of Public Information, Tom Torlakson, announced that about 193 middle schools and 180 high schools have been honored with the award.

“These schools are academically successful, vibrant and innovative centers of learning and teaching,” said Torlakson. “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.”

According to the state Department of Education, of the 10,366 public schools in the state, only 373 are being recognized with California’s highest distinction.

“I think it’s fantastic to be recognized for all our hard work,” said Bob Brauneisen, Principal of Castaic Middle School. “We are a small school in a small district, our district is in financial difficulties but we still have teachers that are working hard and students that are still learning, don’t give up on our little district and our little school.”

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.

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.

Castaic Middle School is also a nationally recognized School to Watch model school site since 2001 and enrolls about 1,060 students from grades six to eight.

For more information please visit the California Gold Ribbon Schools Program on the California Department of Education’s Web site.