8 Schools Nominated for Top State Honor

Eight Ventura County elementary schools were nominated as California Distinguished Schools, and six others received honorable mention for the statewide award.

The nominees include Cypress, Maple, Meadows and University in the Conejo Valley Unified School District; Vista Fundamental in the Simi Valley Unified School District; Oak Hills in the Oak Park Unified School District; Los Primeros Structured School in the Pleasant Valley Elementary School District and Lincoln in the Ventura Unified School District.

The schools receiving honorable mention are Acacia, Banyan, Manzanita and Westlake in Conejo Valley; Brookside in Oak Park and Township in Simi Valley.

The selections were based on curriculum, parent involvement, campus safety programs and test scores.

Judges will visit each of the nominated schools during the next several weeks. The state Department of Education will announce the winners the first week of April.

The Ventura County nominees are among 230 schools throughout California. There were also 178 honorable mentions awarded statewide. Applications were received from 681 of the state’s 5,247 elementary schools.