Two District 196 elementary magnet schools have been selected for recognition in Magnet Schools of America’s 2023 Merit Awards program. Echo Park Elementary School of Leadership, Engineering and Technology is being recognized as a School of Distinction and Glacier Hills Elementary School of Arts and Science is one of only 24 schools in the nation to be selected a Top School of Excellence. 

The Merit Awards of Excellence and Distinction recognize magnet schools that show a commitment to high academic standards, curriculum innovation, successful desegregation/diversity efforts, specialized teaching staffs, and parent and community involvement. The School of Excellence Award is given to a select group of magnet schools that have demonstrated the highest level of excellence in all facets of the merit award application. Glacier Hills and the other Top Schools of Excellence represent the top one-fourth of the 94 Schools of Excellence selected this year.    

“We are honored to be recognized as a Top School of Excellence and proud of the work we do as a school community," said Glacier Hills Principal Adriana Henderson.

Glacier Hills and Echo Park have received merit awards previously, as have the other three elementary magnet schools in District 196: Cedar Park Elementary STEM School; Diamond Path Elementary School of International Studies, and Oak Ridge Elementary School of Leadership, Environmental and Health Sciences. District 196 offers Valley Middle School of STEM for students in grades 6-8. The district’s K-12 STEM pathway of schools includes Cedar Park, Echo Park, Valley Middle and Apple Valley High School, which has a fabrication lab and STEM focus. The School of Environmental Studies for high school juniors and seniors is also part of the district’s magnet school offerings.

District 196 magnet schools are open to all students in District 196 and those who open enroll from another district. Enrollment is determined through an application and lottery process held each January. Transportation is provided for District 196 students who are selected for enrollment in a magnet school. For more information, go to www.District196.org/MagnetSchools/.