Fewer than 200 of the state’s 1,295 public high schools received the 2026 Distinguished School Award and even fewer earned it twice in a row. Miramonte High School is in that academically elite group.
“I’m super proud of it for our students, staff and parents,” said Miramonte High School Principal Ben Campopiano. “I think it goes to show just how strong our school district and our community are.”
In the nine-county Bay Area, only seven high schools were recognized with the prestigious award this year, including two others in Contra Costa County (Liberty High and San Ramon Valley High.)
The awards to high schools and middle schools are given every other year, alternating with elementary school awards. In addition to this year and 2024, Miramonte High School received the Distinguished School Award in 2019.
Although nothing publicly spells out the exact criteria, according to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction it is “highly selective,” ranging from 10 to 20% of schools in the targeted categories being honored in any given year.
Initiated in 1985, the state superintendent called the award “the state’s highest honor for public education,” and “one of the state’s most important ways to celebrate exceptional schools,” recognizing only top performers among thousands of public schools.
Schools are selected based on “exemplary student outcomes” including “academic achievement for all students, with progress for historically underserved groups.”
“We work hard on creating a great academic experience and entire school experience for our kids,” said Campopiano. “So I think this is kind of a sign of the value we as a community place on public schools, education [and] academics.”.
Campopiano said he thought what may have factored into receiving the award was the emphasis he and his staff have placed on something that might seem obvious, teaching to the state standards.
“I don’t know that for sure,” he said, “but I would say what we have prioritized is helping students master the standards. Our teacher teams have really worked on understanding exactly what our students know and what they don’t know and being clear about what they still need to master. Our teachers have used a strategic approach in the last five years around data and standards-based evidence.”
Especially in the last five years, Campopiano said, teachers have worked collaboratively to determine whether students have made appropriate progress and to help them improve.
“If they’re not [improving], how do we get them there? How do we engage them? How do we tutor them, support them, how do we guide them?” he said. “That’s the focus.”
Miramonte once again honored by state’s education department
