Two Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District elementary sites named 2018 California Distinguished Schools

The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD) is proud to announce that two elementary schools were recently named 2018 California Distinguished Schools, the state’s top honor for campuses. This includes Glenknoll Elementary School in Yorba Linda and Golden Elementary School in Placentia.

“We are extremely proud of this outstanding accomplishment,” shared PYLUSD Superintendent, Dr. Greg Plutko. “This recognition truly reflects our schools’ commitment to being a dynamic learning community that prepares each and every student for success now and in the future. The academic growth of our students exists by virtue of the dedicated work done by PYL teachers, administrators, classified staff, and community members.”

The California Department of Education’s (CDE) Distinguished Schools program recognizes schools that have made exceptional gains in implementing academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education. A school’s eligibility to apply is based on their performance and progress on state indicators as outlined on the California School Dashboard. The award rotates each year between elementary schools and secondary schools.

According to the Orange County Department of Education, the Distinguished Schools program has been on hiatus for the past three years as the state worked to implement the California School Dashboard, a new accountability system that offers a more comprehensive look at how K-12 schools and districts are education and support students.

The title “California Distinguished School” is one that both PYLUSD schools are familiar with, having earned the distinction several times in previous years, including most recently in 2014.  For 2018, Glenknoll and Golden stand as two of only 43 schools in Orange County and 287 schools in California to receive this matching honor.

The PYLUSD schools, including Glenknoll principal, David Cammarato, and Golden principal, Roann Turk, will be officially honored in May during a ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

To see the full list of 2018 California Distinguished Schools or to learn more about the program, please visit CDE’s website at www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr18/yr18rel24.asp.