{"id":17079,"date":"2026-03-19T13:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T20:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.dusd.net\/sussman\/?p=17079"},"modified":"2026-03-19T13:54:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T20:54:12","slug":"sussman-middle-school-named-a-2026-california-distinguished-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.dusd.net\/sussman\/sussman-middle-school-named-a-2026-california-distinguished-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Sussman Middle School Named a 2026 California Distinguished School"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What a year to be a Pioneer! On the heels of our official designation as an <strong>IB World School<\/strong>, we are thrilled to share that <strong>Sussman Middle School<\/strong> has also been named a <strong>2026 California Distinguished School<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This dual recognition highlights Sussman as a premier destination for families seeking a rigorous, global education. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) campus, our students are learning to think critically and solve real-world problems\u2014from designing sustainable cities to creating museum-quality artwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being a Distinguished School means we are meeting the highest standards in the state for student growth and academic success. It is a win for every student who walks our halls and every teacher who inspires them.<\/p>\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>To our current families: thank you for choosing Sussman. To prospective families: come see why our inquiry-based learning is putting Sussman on the map!<\/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>What a year to be a Pioneer! On the heels of our official designation as an IB World School, we are thrilled to share that Sussman Middle School has also been named a 2026 California Distinguished School. This dual recognition highlights Sussman as a premier destination for families seeking a rigorous, global education. As an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":17082,"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":[104,105,103,102],"class_list":["post-17079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-posts","tag-award","tag-awards","tag-ca-distinguished-school","tag-california-distinguished-school"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Sussman Middle School Named a 2026 California Distinguished School | Sussman<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What a year to be a Pioneer! 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