The top three campuses in the Orange County Register’s annual breakdown of high-performing elementary schools are in the Irvine Unified School District, and scores of other IUSD sites were recognized by the newspaper with gold, silver or bronze medals. Overall, the Register ranked Irvine Unified No. 1 in the county, followed by Los Alamitos and Laguna Beach, in the special feature that was published over the weekend. As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, IUSD doesn’t tend to emphasize school rankings, which are generally limited by the criteria that was used. Simply put, there’s so much that goes into building a successful learning environment – from the staff and students to the parents and the level of enrichment – that comparisons are often highly subjective.
Meadow Park students celebrate earning California Distinguished School honors in 2010.
Nevertheless, the Register’s annual analysis of Orange County’s public schools is definitely worth noting here. After crunching numbers related to academics, school environment and accolades, Meadow Park Elementary School took the No. 1 spot in 2011, with the newspaper lauding M.P.’s continuous improvement efforts, its performance on standards tests and “a near-perfect blending of other factors including low discipline rates and high physical-fitness marks.” (To read the full profile on Meadow Park, click here.) Stone Creek and Northwood Elementary schools ranked second and third, respectively, and scores of other IUSD campuses earned gold, silver and bronze medals. (Plaza Vista and Vista Verde would no doubt be on the list as well, but the Register does not include K-8s in its breakdown because the data is more difficult to compare.) To access the Register’s take on the best schools in Orange County, click here.