California Names 11 Fresno County Schools to 2026 Distinguished Schools List

Eleven Fresno County schools across four school districts earned spots on California's 2026 Distinguished Schools list, state officials announced March 11, with Fresno Unified claiming the largest share of local honorees and Kings Canyon Joint Unified placing two repeat winners from Reedley.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond unveiled the full statewide roster of 408 middle and high schools, selected using 2025 data from the California School Dashboard. The program recognizes schools for exceptional student achievement and efforts to close achievement gaps. To qualify, schools must achieve at least 95% participation in statewide assessments and cannot carry concerning climate indicators such as high suspension or chronic absenteeism rates.

Fresno Unified placed the most schools on the county's local list. The district's honorees include Baird Middle School, Design Science Middle College High School, Edison Computech, Edison High School, Erma Duncan Polytechnical High School, Phillip J. Patino School of Entrepreneurship, and University High School, a charter school authorized by Fresno Unified. Superintendent Misty Her called the recognition a collective achievement. "We are incredibly proud that six Fresno Unified schools have been named," Her said. "This recognition reflects the dedication of our educators, staff, students, and families who work every day to create schools where students can thrive." The California Department of Education's official table lists seven Fresno Unified schools among the county's honorees; the district has not publicly clarified the discrepancy.

Kings Canyon Joint Unified added two more entries with Reedley High School, receiving the designation for the second time, and Reedley Middle College High School, celebrating its third recognition since 2021. Superintendent John Campbell framed the consecutive honors as both validation and motivation. "Our school communities should be incredibly proud of this achievement," Campbell said. "These recognitions show we are on the right path, but they also challenge us to continue to keep taking it to the next level."

Clovis Unified's Buchanan High School and Sanger Unified's Sanger High School rounded out the Fresno County contingent.

Broadening the lens to the wider San Joaquin Valley region, 20 schools across Fresno, Kings, Madera, and Tulare counties made the 2026 list. Kings County's Sierra Pacific High School, Madera County's Liberty High School and Sherman Thomas STEM Academy, and six Tulare County campuses, including Exeter Union High School, Lindsay Senior High School, Harmony Magnet Academy, Porterville Military Academy, University Preparatory High School, and El Diamante High School, also received the distinction.

The 2026 cycle covers middle and high schools; elementary and K-8 schools were evaluated separately in 2025 and will next be considered in 2027. Middle and high schools will not be up for consideration again until 2028.