Thirty-four California schools have been named recipients of the 2025 Civic Learning Awards, honoring and recognizing measurable schoolwide achievements in civics. The award program, now in its 12th year, is co-sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero.

Since their inception in 2013, the awards have been presented more than 500 times to traditional, charter and magnet schools. In recent years, community schools and continuation schools have submitted high-ranking applications. This year, a court school applied for the first time.

The top three honorees receiving the Civic Learning Award of Excellence and receiving a visit from Chief Justice Guerrero this fall are:

Elementary school: Ida Jew Academy and Valle Vista Elementary (Mount Pleasant Elementary School District).

Middle school: Sparks Middle School (Hacienda la Puente Unified School District).

High school: Norte Vista High School (Alvord Unified School District).

NP3 Middle and High Schools in the Natomas Unified School District will receive Awards of Excellence Emeritus (they scored at the top last year and this year).

The following schools earned a Civic Learning Award of Distinction:

Elementary school: Garfield Elementary School (Clovis Unified School District).

Middle school: August Boeger Middle School (Community School) (Mount Pleasant Elementary School District).

High school: Anaheim High School (Anaheim Union High School District).

The following schools earned a Civic Learning Award of Merit:

Elementary school: Emperor Elementary School (Temple City Unified School District).

Middle school: Antioch Charter Academy II (Antioch Unified School District).

High school: Norwalk High School (Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District).

Merit Award Emeritus: South Junior High School in the Anaheim Union High School District also received the Merit Award in 2024.

The Civic Learning Awards began in 2013 and are part of the Chief Justice’s Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative, which includes other programs such as Judges in the Classroom. More information is available on the CDE Civic Learning Award web page, www.cde.ca.gov/ci/pl/civicengprojects.asp.