{"id":15893,"date":"2026-03-19T13:46:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T20:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.dusd.net\/griffiths\/?p=15893"},"modified":"2026-03-19T13:46:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T20:46:39","slug":"griffiths-middle-school-earns-distinguished-honors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.dusd.net\/griffiths\/griffiths-middle-school-earns-distinguished-honors\/","title":{"rendered":"Griffiths Middle School Earns &#8220;Distinguished&#8221; Honors!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The secret is out: <strong>Griffiths Middle School<\/strong> is officially one of the best in the state! We are honored to be recognized as a <strong>2026 California Distinguished School<\/strong>, an award that celebrates our high academic achievement and our &#8220;Where Everybody Belongs&#8221; (WEB) culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Griffiths, we believe in giving students a head start on their future. Whether it\u2019s through our powerhouse <strong>AVID program<\/strong> (shoutout to our Warren High mentors!), our cutting-edge <strong>Robotics and 3D Design<\/strong> classes, or our <strong>award-winning Advanced Band and Choir<\/strong>, our Thunderbirds are soaring to new heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;Our students come to school ready to lead and learn,&#8221; says the Griffiths leadership team. &#8220;Being named a Distinguished School validates the energy and heart our teachers and families pour into this campus every day.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the California Distinguished Schools Program<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Established in 1985, the <strong>California Distinguished Schools Program<\/strong> is one of the state\u2019s most prestigious honors for public schools. It recognizes campuses that demonstrate exemplary student performance or success in closing the achievement gap for historically underserved student groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How Schools Are Selected:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Data-Driven:<\/strong> Schools do not apply for this award. Instead, they are automatically considered based on performance metrics from the <strong>California School Dashboard<\/strong>, including academic achievement, college and career readiness, and graduation rates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strict Criteria:<\/strong> To qualify, schools must maintain at least 95% participation in statewide assessments and demonstrate a positive school climate, with low rates of chronic absenteeism and suspensions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alternating Years:<\/strong> The program alternates annually; middle and high schools are recognized in even-numbered years (like 2026), while elementary schools are honored in odd-numbered years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2026, only <strong>408 middle and high schools<\/strong> statewide earned this distinction. These honorees will be celebrated at a formal recognition ceremony on <strong>April 24, 2026<\/strong>, at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are so proud of our Thunderbird family. Current and future students: the future is bright at Griffiths!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedowneypatriot.com\/articles\/downey-middle-schools-earn-california-distinguished-school-honors\">Read the news article on the Downey Patriot<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Griffiths Middle School has been named a 2026 California Distinguished School! Congratulations to the entire Thunderbird community on this well-deserved recognition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":15896,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-posts"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Griffiths Middle School Earns &quot;Distinguished&quot; Honors! | Griffiths<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Griffiths Middle School has been named a 2026 California Distinguished School! 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