Seven Irvine Unified schools have been named 2026 California Distinguished Schools, the state’s highest honor for public schools.
Lakeside, Rancho San Joaquin, Sierra Vista, South Lake and Venado middle schools as well as Irvine and Woodbridge high schools received the designation.
The California Distinguished Schools program recognizes campuses for closing achievement gaps or demonstrating exceptional student performance. The selection is based on performance measures from the California School Dashboard, the state’s school accountability system. Indicators include test scores, suspension rates and school climate.
