On Feb. 26, judges from the National Center for Urban School Transformation came to Cerritos High School, interviewing both students and teachers alike. Cerritos High School is a finalist for the Top School in America Award of 2025, granting great opportunities if won.
The Top School in America Award is given out to high schools yearly based on the overall success of their students. By looking at state testing scores, cultural inclusion, and suspension rates, the National Center for Urban School Transformation decides which high school across the country deserves the title.
Winning the award would grant recognition from inside the ABCUSD district, opening up more opportunities for funding and better school events. It could also inspire future classes, whose students are still in middle or elementary school as of now. “This award is a way to showcase all of the accomplishments of our community,” said dean Ms. Alyssa Chen, “at the end of the day, it’s a team effort between our students, staff, administration, parents, and district– and we are proud of the work we have done.”
Starting the process in November, the school first applied by answering several essay questions about the school’s culture and how the staff were supporting students. They also had to send in a report on suspension rates, CAASP scores, and whether students were academically performing better than the state average. They shared data on the school’s diversity, English learning students, and special education students, ensuring students of every demographic were succeeding.
By late January, Cerritos discovered we had made it to the honor roll list of 25 schools in the nation. We then moved up to the final 17 schools, all of which received a visit from four seasoned educators, who came to verify all the information provided in the application. They also held focus rooms to talk to teachers, students, and district administrators and learn more about their perspectives on their classes. The visitors mainly based their expectations on a book all the teachers were required to read, called “The Fundamentals Five”, which covers research based instructional strategies.
Once all the visits have been completed and all the data analyzed, the winners of the Top School in America Award will be announced towards the end of May.
