Local Middle Schools Named 'Schools to Watch' for Exemplary Educational Practices

Laguna Middle School in San Luis Obispo was recently honored with the prestigious designation as national and state "School to Watch."

The recognition, awarded by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform in partnership with the California League of Schools, celebrates middle schools' commitment to excellence in education and their outstanding support for students.

Both Laguna Middle School and Los Osos Middle School earned the recognition. They received word of their designations in late November. For Los Osos, this year's designation marks their third such award, and second "re-designation." Laguna Middle School is receiving the honor for the first time.

This coming weekend in Monterey, the schools will be receiving their awards along with other middle schools from around California that also attained this prestigious award.

"This was a team effort," said Nathan Meinert, Principal at Laguna Middle School. "The award is symbolic of the hard work and dedication of our entire education community."

"To be one of 600 'Schools to Watch' out of approx. 1,400 middle schools in California is an awesome honor," said Karl Blum, Principal at Los Osos Middle School. "And while the designation itself is great, the process is equally as meaningful because it causes us to self-reflect on our successes and grow where we need to grow."

The "Schools to Watch" designation recognizes exemplary middle schools based on a reflective self-study in four areas:

• Academic Excellence
• Developmental Responsiveness
• Social Equity
• Organizational Processes and Procedures

If the application is approved, the school hosts a validation visit. If the school meets the qualifications, the school becomes a California School to Watch .

"We are immensely proud of Los Osos Middle School and Laguna Middle School for this designation," said Superintendent Dr. Eric Prater. "This recognition underscores their tireless efforts to continuously improve and create nurturing and innovative learning environments that empower our students to thrive academically and personally."

Schools to Watch is a national network of over 600 schools in 17 states. California is the largest state participant.

For more information about Los Osos Middle School, Laguna Middle School, or the "Schools to Watch" recognition, please visit:
● https://www.sslcusd.org
● https://www.leagueofeducators.org/stw

San Luis Coastal Unified School District represents the communities of Avila, Edna Valley, Los Osos, Morro Bay, North Pismo Beach, and San Luis Obispo and has an enrollment of approximately 7,500 students. Small neighborhood schools are a hallmark of the District where students are educated from preschool through 12th grade and a world-class adult school program offers unique, life-improving courses to thousands of community members. For more information, visit: https://www.sslcusd.org.

This story was shared in partnership with Laguna Middle School.

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