Richardson PREP HI Middle School in San Bernardino earns ninth CA Distinguished School Award

The students and staff at Richardson PREP HI Middle School have earned the California Distinguished School Award for the ninth time in the school’s history.

“Richardson’s long history of being a Distinguished School is proof that our success is due to more than just the efforts of one staff member or a handful of students,” said Richardson Principal Jenny (Paige) Vetere. “It’s the proof that our high standards for staff, students, and parents, including requirements for good attendance and behavior at all times and fostering a positive and caring school environment, have long-term academic impacts.”

The California Distinguished School Award recognizes schools for exceptional student performance for two consecutive years or for closing the achievement gap between two school years. The data used to evaluate schools for the award comes from the California School Dashboard. Richardson’s 2019 Dashboard results show the average math score for all students was 64.4 points above the standard. Additionally, English Learner students, as a group, scored 62.2 points above the standard in English/language arts.

Students at this San Bernardino City Unified School District magnet school surpassed the state’s metrics in math and reading. A notable 77 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math and 92 percent scored at or above that level for reading.

Richardson PREP HI was one of only three schools in the County of San Bernardino to earn this honor in 2021 – Cobalt Institute of Math and Science Academy and University Preparatory in Victorville were the other two schools.

Richardson PREP HI was last named a Distinguished School in 2019. Schools are only eligible to earn a Distinguished School Award every two years. In 2016, Richardson was named a National Blue Ribbon School.