By SDCN Staff
Sacramento, CA–Upon release of the 2026 Smarter Balanced test scores, Educational Results Partnership has announced the 2026 Honor Roll list of California’s top performing schools and districts.
Educational Results Partnership is a non-profit organization that applies data science to accelerate student success, in partnership with state business leaders representing 28 chambers of commerce across the state. This is the twelfth year that the partnership has completed the honor roll list, which recognizes top public schools, school districts and charter schools that have outperformed their peers in closing achievement gaps, particularly among higher-poverty and historically disadvantaged student populations.
This year 117 schools and 11 school districts in San Diego County made the honor roll. These schools are among the top-performing 24 percent of schools and 22 percent of school districts in the state. To find the Honor Roll schools and districts in San Diego County, visit the full list posted at: www.honorrollschools.com .
“We cannot predict every career that will exist tomorrow, but we can recognize the schools doing an exceptional job of preparing students for whatever the future holds,” said Alex Barrios, president and CEO of Educational Results Partnership. “At a time of unprecedented technological change, the ability to think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, and continue learning will be more valuable than ever. This year’s Honor Roll schools deserve recognition for providing the strong academic foundations and essential skills that open doors to opportunity and empower students to shape their own futures.”
The program is part of a national effort to engage business leaders in recognizing high-performing schools and educational systems and to promote the best practices that improve student outcomes. Honor roll schools are recognized for demonstrating consistently higher levels of student achievement comprehensively across all student populations, improvement in academic achievement over time, and a reduction in achievement gaps among historically disadvantaged student populations. Smarter Balanced test score data made publicly available today by the California Department of Education for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) for the years 2024-2026 was used to conduct the analysis.
The 2026 California Honor Roll Schools list is supported by the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence and co-presented in collaboration with chambers of commerce across the state including:
California Chamber of Commerce’s Foundation for Commerce and Education, California Black Chamber of Commerce, CalAsian Chamber of Commerce, California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation, Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce, San Joaquin A+, Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce, Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce, Inland Empire Chamber of Commerce, Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, San Diego East County Regional Chamber of Commerce, North San Diego Chamber of Commerce, Porterville Chamber of Commerce, Modesto Chamber of Commerce, Fresno Chamber of Commerce, San Gabriel Regional Valley Chamber of Commerce, South County (San Diego) Chamber of Commerce, Redlands Chamber of Commerce, Fremont Chamber of Commerce, Encinitas Chamber of Commerce, Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, Vista Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders across the state.
“While the release of academic performance data often draws attention to what isn’t working in education, our coalition of business leaders chooses to focus on what is working. We use these data to shine a light on schools achieving success with all students served, understand what drives their results, and explore how those successes can be replicated,” said Barrios.
