SAN DIEGO — Several local schools have received the 2023 California Purple Star Designation, the San Diego Unified School District announced Friday.
This program publicly recognizes schools that “go above and beyond” in supporting military-connected students and their families.
These students can expect to change schools between six and nine times from kindergarten through high school, which is three times more often than non-military-connected children, the school district explained. This requires students to transition from school to school while adapting to varying cultures, curricula, schedules and course options, among other things.
The Purple Star Program, according the the California Department of Education, was designed to help mitigate these unique challenges by setting standards for and publicly designating military-friendly schools that offer transitional support.
Here’s a list of some other San Diego Unified Purple Star Schools:
— Angier Elementary School
— Chesterton Elementary School
— Correia Middle School
— Crown Point Junior Music Academy
— Hage Elementary School
— Hancock Elementary School
— Jonas Salk Elementary School
— Loma Portal Elementary School
— Point Loma High School
— Sandburg Elementary School
— Taft Middle School
— Wangenheim Middle School
— Bonsall West Elementary School
“San Diego Unified is proud to support our military-connected students and their families, and our schools are committed to meeting their needs by providing a high quality education,” said Board of Education President Sabrina Bazzo. “The Purple Star designation is a testament to that commitment, and a reminder each day of the distinct privilege we have to serve those who serve our nation.”
Nearly 8,000 San Diego Unified students have a parent serving in the Armed Forces, making the region one of the largest concentrations of military-connected personnel in the nation.
Another San Diego school that made the list, but operates independently from San Diego Unified School District is Elevate Charter School.
