BELLFLOWER – Bellflower Unified’s two comprehensive high schools, four elementary schools and home studies program on Monday were named to the Campaign for Business & Education Excellence (CBEE) 2016 Honor Roll as higher performing schools that are narrowing the achievement gap.

The Honor Roll shines a light on the bright spots in education by identifying schools that are producing strong student outcomes that outperform expectations and provide a model of best practices that other schools can replicate.

Bellflower High, Mayfair High, the Intensive Learning Center, Albert Baxter Elementary, Esther Lindstrom Elementary and Steven Foster Elementary schools were honored as Star Schools, which recognizes success when a third or more students come from low-income homes.

The Las Flores Home Education Independent Study Academy was honored as a Scholar School, which recognizes higher performing campuses with less than a third of students from high-poverty households.

“It is immensely gratifying to see Bellflower Unified schools once again recognized by the CBEE Honor Roll,” Superintendent Dr. Brian Jacobs said. “Honor Roll status validates efforts by Bellflower Unified’s dedicated and talented teachers and staff to provide students with tools to succeed.”

Since 2008, nine Bellflower Unified schools have earned Honor Roll designations – with the District represented every year and with most schools making repeated appearances. Baxter has been listed eight times, the Intensive Learning Center six times and Mayfair High four times. Bellflower High, Pyle, Lindstrom and Foster have each been listed three times.

The Honor Roll is created for CBEE by the Educational Results Partnership (ERP), which analyzes 12 measures taken from California Department of Education data, including performance on state math, English language arts and science standardized tests.

ERP looks at equity among students with differing ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic status. Additionally, high schools are judged on the percent of graduates who meet UC/CSU entrance course requirements, average SAT scores, percent of passing Advanced Placement exams, graduation rate and dropout rate.