On Friday, June 4, four schools from the Santa Barbara area received 2010 California Distinguished School awards: Peabody Charter School and the Santa Barbara Community Academy in the Santa Barbara School District, Aliso Elementary in the Carpinteria Unified School District, and Cold Spring Elementary School.

The event was held at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, and 484 schools from 39 counties were invited to the event.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell personally congratulated each school and presided over a dinner ceremony that featured student talent from all over Los Angeles.

This year, the criterion for identifying eligible schools was more stringent. Only those public and charter elementary schools that excel at meeting the standards of both the state and federal accountability systems and at closing the achievement gap between their subgroups were invited to apply. The written applications were followed up by a daylong validation visit, and winners were announced in April.

There are 5,800 public and charter elementary schools in California. Out of the 484 honored, only eight were charter schools. This is the 24th year of the California Distinguished Schools Recognition Program.

— Kate Ford is the principal of Peabody Charter School.