Downey middle schools earn California Distinguished School honors

Sussman Middle School students and guests on Jan. 23, 2026.

DOWNEY — Three middle schools in the Downey Unified School District have been recognized among the state’s top-performing campuses after being named 2026 California Distinguished Schools.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced Tuesday that 408 middle and high schools across California were selected for the prestigious honor, which recognizes campuses that demonstrate strong academic outcomes and progress for students.

In Downey Unified, the schools receiving the recognition are Doty Middle School, Griffiths Middle School and Sussman Middle School.

The California Distinguished Schools Program, established in 1985, is one of the state’s most prominent recognitions for public schools. It highlights schools that achieve exceptional student performance while also supporting improvement among historically underserved groups.

“This year’s California Distinguished Schools represent the hard work of our middle and high school educators and school staff, who provide our secondary students with life-changing educational opportunities,” Thurmond said in announcing the awards.

Schools were evaluated using performance metrics from the 2025 California School Dashboard, the state’s accountability system that measures academic achievement, graduation rates and college and career readiness.

To qualify, schools must demonstrate high levels of academic performance and improvement while also meeting statewide accountability standards. Schools must have at least 95 percent participation in statewide assessments and cannot have concerning indicators such as very high suspension rates or chronic absenteeism.

The recognition program evaluates schools under several categories, including Exemplary High Achievers, which recognizes schools among the highest performing in the state, and Achievement Gap Closers, which highlights schools that are improving outcomes for historically underserved student groups.

Schools do not apply for the designation. Instead, all public schools are automatically considered based on their performance data. Middle schools and high schools are evaluated in alternating years with elementary schools.

The newly recognized schools, along with other statewide education honorees, will be celebrated during a recognition ceremony April 24 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.