Stonegate tops the Orange County Register’s list of OC’s best elementary schools

Default Image - iusd

The Orange County Register has released its latest breakdown of high-performing elementary schools, ranking our own Stonegate Elementary School at No. 1 in the county.

“Irvine’s Stonegate Elementary was this year’s leader, jumping from No. 14 to No. 1, a year after earning federal recognition with a Blue Ribbon Award,” the newspaper says. “School staff say they constantly explore new ways to teach, whether by adapting to new technology or holding yoga classes to keep kids focused – all while enrollment has more than doubled in the past five years.”

IUSD's Stone Creek Elementary School also earned a gold medal in the special report published Sunday, Feb. 16, and Turtle Rock and Westpark elementary schools each earned bronze medals.

As we’ve said before, school rankings can be highly subjective, as news outlets use different criteria for evaluating campuses. Nevertheless, the Register’s annual analysis of Orange County’s public schools draws a lot of eyes locally and is definitely worth noting here.

In making its selections for 2014, the paper says it awarded only 22 medals to the county’s 371 elementary schools after assessing a number of metrics, including academics, fitness and diversity. Though K-8 schools like Plaza Vista School and Vista Verde School weren’t included because their data doesn't match up as well, their accomplishments were spotlighted in this companion piece.

To access the Register’s take on the best schools in Orange County, click here. (Note that a subscription is required to access the paper’s website.)