Local News in Brief : Countywide : 13 Schools Advance to National Contest

State Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig said Orange County has 13 high schools and middle schools among the 164 in the state chosen this year as “Distinguished Schools.”

The winning schools, named for their academic excellence, will now compete for federal honors in the annual U.S. Department of Education’s National Secondary Schools Recognition Program.

The state winners will receive commemorative plaques and flags at a special awards ceremony June 3, Honig said.

“This recognition serves not only as a reward for achievement, but as motivation for other schools to strive for excellence,” he said.

Three Orange County middle schools won Distinguished Schools selection in that category. They are Ethel Dwyer Middle School, of the Huntington Beach City School District; Tuffree Junior High, Placentia Unified School District, and McFadden Intermediate, Santa Ana Unified School District.

The 10 Orange County high schools winning “distinguished” designation are: Fullerton High, Sunny Hills High, and Troy High, all of Fullerton Joint Union High School District; Marina High, Huntington Beach Union High School District; Corona del Mar High, Newport-Mesa Unified School District; El Toro High and Mission Viejo High, both of Saddleback Valley Unified School District; Irvine High and University High, both of Irvine Unified School District, and Los Alamitos High, Los Alamitos Unified School District.