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Suzanne Middle School Honored with prestigious Schools To Watch Award

California League of Schools, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the California Middle Grades Alliance Announce
2017 "Schools to Watch™—Taking Center Stage" Model Middle Schools

Long Beach— The California League of School (CLS), State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the California Middle Grades Alliance today announced that 11 high-performing California middle schools have been newly designated as model middle grades schools in the 2016–17 Schools to Watch™—Taking Center Stage (STW™—TCS) program. 

CLS also announced that the sustained progress of 19 previously chosen STW™—TCS schools will allow them to retain their designation.

These 30 schools excel at keeping students engaged and motivated during this critical juncture in a student’s school career.  "We congratulate them for their efforts to exceed challenging goals, narrow the achievement gap, and set their students on a solid path toward high school and future success."

The 11 newly designated STW™—TCS model middle grades schools are:

  • Burlingame Intermediate School, Burlingame School District
  • Downtown College Prep Alum Rock Middle School, Downtown College Prep
  • Desert Springs Middle School, Palm Springs Unified School District
  • Rancho Starbuck Intermediate School, Lowell Joint School District
  • Huron Middle School, Coalinga-Huron Unified School District
  • Haskell STEM Academy, ABC Unified School District
  • McFarland Middle School, McFarland Unified School District
  • Suzanne Middle School, Walnut Valley Unified School District
  • Chaparral Middle School, Walnut Valley Unified School District
  • Mare Island Technology Academy, Mare island Technology Academy
  • Clifton Middle School, Monrovia Unified School District

The 19 re-designated STW™—TCS model middle grades schools are:

  • Alondra  Middle School, Paramount Unified School District
  • Leona Jackson School, Paramount Unified School District
  • Washington Academic Middle School, Sanger Unified School District
  • Calavera Hills Middle School, Carlsbad Unified School District
  • Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School, Elk Grove Unified School District
  • Heber School, Heber Elementary School District
  • Tetzlaff Accelerated Learning Academy, ABC Unified School District
  • Carmenita Middle School, ABC Unified School District
  • La Paz Intermediate School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
  • Alvarado Intermediate School, Rowland  Unified School District
  • Torch Middle School, Bassett Unified School District
  • Vista Verde Middle School,Val Verde Unified School District
  • Alta Sierra Intermediate School, Clovis Unified School District
  • Kastner Intermediate School, Clovis Unified School District
  • Rancho Milpitas Middle School, Milpitas Unified School District
  • Landmark Middle School, Moreno Valley Unified School District
  • LaCanada 7/8 High School, LaCanada-Flintridge Unified School District
  • Kennedy Middle School, El Centro Unified School District
  • Millikan Middle School and Performing Arts Magnet, Los Angeles Unified 

STW™—TCS middle grades schools are high-performing model schools that demonstrate academic excellence, responsiveness to the needs of young adolescents, and social equity. These schools host visitors from California and around the world who are looking to learn practices they can use to improve their middle grades schools and close the achievement gap. 

The STW™—TCS program is sponsored by the California League of Schools (CLS)  and the California Department of Education, in partnership with the California Middle Grades Alliance. 

To earn this designation, schools must complete an extensive application that is reviewed by middle grades experts. In order to retain the designation, each school is re-evaluated every three years. 

All of the schools will be recognized in Sacramento at the California Middle Grades Alliance annual luncheon February 23rd, 2017, and during the California League of Schools' Annual Conference North, February 24th–26th, 2017. All of these schools will receive their national recognition in Washington, D.C. June 21st - 24th, 2017.

For more information about the STW™—TCS program, please visit the CLMS High Performing Middle School Models  Web page or call California Schools to Watch State Director Carole Carlson (408-893-8512) or Co-Director Dr. Irvin Howard (951-318-7515).