An organization that crunches public education data to determine which school districts in the state have made the biggest strides in closing the achievement gap has given the Chula Vista Elementary School District its “Honor Roll” distinction.

The Campaign for Business and Education Excellence also named 25 of the district’s 45 schools “Star Schools,” and one school a “Scholar School.”

Chula Vista was one of 11 districts in the state, and one of two districts in the county, to receive the Honor Roll title this year. The organization also singled out the San Marcos Unified School District.

The Honor Roll distinction recognizes improved academic growth over time and reduction of the achievement gap. Star Schools — which are described as “high poverty, high performing, achievement gap closing schools” — are recognized for consistently high levels of student achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time, and a reduction in achievement gaps at schools with significant populations of disadvantaged students. The Scholar School recognition, given to high performing schools without significant levels of low-income students, was given to Arroyo Vista Charter School.


The achievement gap refers to distance between the academic performance of black and Hispanic students and their non-Hispanic white peers, and includes factors such as sex, English proficiency, learning ability and income.

The Campaign for Business and Education Excellence is a nonprofit organization founded 14 years ago by business and education leaders with a focus on strategies that close the achievement gap. It started naming school districts to its Honor Roll 10 years ago.

Chula Vista is the state’s largest elementary school district, serving nearly 30,000 K-6 students. Almost half its students come from low-income families, and more than a third are English learners.