State Superintendent Tony Thurmond has announced that Adelante Charter School has been designated a 2025 California Distinguished School, one of only four schools in the Santa Barbara School District to receive the honor this year.
The California Distinguished Schools program annually recognizes schools for extraordinary work in closing achievement gaps and achieving exceptional student performance.
“Adelante Charter School’s recognition is a testament to its innovative approach and unwavering dedication to student success,” said the school, which is approaching its 25th anniversary.
The school credited its success to Principal Javier Bolivar who joined Adelante in 2021.
“Since his installation, Adelante has thrived academically, social, and professionally,” Adelante said. “This achievement is in no small part due to his leadership and dedication to the faculty, staff and students he greets at the entrance each day.”
Distinguished for its innovative approach, Adelante Charter School said it stands out for embracing an immersive, research-based model that allows students to acquire both languages naturally through meaningful interaction and academic content.
“By fostering fluency and biliteracy in an authentic, engaging environment, Adelante Charter School exemplifies the future of multilingual education,” the school said.
In the most recent data analysis conducted by a third party organization and noted in the California Department of Education Dashboard, Adelante has shown:
• English Learner Progress Indicator of 74.3%
◦ The highest in Santa Barbara County
• English Language Arts (ELA) Proficiency doubled from 19.59% (2019) to 39.38% (2024)
• Math Proficiency jumped from 26.85% (2019) to 41.26% (2024)
◦ Performance above district average in math across ALL demographic groups
• Chronic Absenteeism dropped dramatically from 29.9% (2022) to just 10.7% (2024)
• Suspension Rates at 0% for three consecutive years.”
“This prestigious recognition is a testament to the dedication of our teachers, staff, students, and families,” Bolivar said. “It reflects our shared commitment to academic excellence, a positive school climate, and ensuring that every child at Adelante has the opportunity to thrive.”
Adelante Charter School is a 90:10 Spanish-English dual-immersion elementary school which is committed to creating bilingual, biliterate, and culturally competent students through an innovative two-way immersion program.
Beyond language immersion, Adelante offers a comprehensive educational experience that emphasizes science, mathematics, technology and the arts, Bolivar said.
Originally established as César Chávez Charter School, Adelante transformed its name and further refined its educational approach, but maintained its core commitment to providing exceptional, culturally responsive education.