Four San Diego Unified elementary schools become national finalists for 2026 America’s Best Schools award

Four campuses in four neighborhoods

Four elementary schools in the San Diego Unified School District have been selected as national finalists for the 2026 America’s Best Schools Award, a program administered by the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST), based at San Diego State University. The four campuses are Dewey Elementary School in Point Loma, Garfield Elementary School in North Park, Nye Elementary School in Valencia Park and Sequoia Elementary School in Clairemont.

Nationally, 17 schools were named finalists for the 2026 award cycle. The finalists are scheduled to receive on-site visits in the coming months as part of the verification process. Award levels are expected to be announced in May 2026, with schools eligible for gold, silver and bronze designations.

What the award measures

NCUST’s non-negotiable criteria emphasize performance and schoolwide conditions across student subgroups, rather than overall averages alone. For finalists, the standards include academic proficiency benchmarks that must be met by every racial, ethnic and income group served by the school, with each group exceeding statewide proficiency averages. The criteria also include attendance and discipline indicators, along with outcomes for student populations that are often tracked separately in accountability systems.

• Academic proficiency: each racial, ethnic and income group at the school exceeds statewide proficiency averages.
• Attendance: rates remain above 92%.
• Discipline: suspension rates stay low across demographic groups.
• Student services outcomes: strong results for English learners and students with disabilities.

How the finalists fit within San Diego Unified

District leaders framed the finalist selections as aligned with San Diego Unified’s academic and student-support priorities, including literacy, mathematics and student wellness. Two of the finalists—Dewey and Sequoia—are described as Title I campuses serving diverse student populations, underscoring that the finalist designation is not restricted to schools with selective enrollment.

Garfield Elementary, located in North Park, has previously received federal recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2023, an honor awarded to a limited number of schools statewide each year. The new finalist designation places Garfield alongside Nye Elementary in Valencia Park, with both schools cited by the district as meeting the award’s academic proficiency standard across every student group.

What happens next

The next phase of the award process involves campus visits intended to validate the application evidence supporting each school’s finalist status. The final designations—bronze, silver and gold—are expected in May 2026.

Finalist status triggers on-site visits as part of the award’s validation process, with winners scheduled to be announced in May 2026.

For families and educators, the coming months will determine whether the four San Diego Unified schools move from finalist recognition to an award level, and what practices identified during the visits may be highlighted for broader adoption.