Recently, the school was recognized by Magnet Schools of America as a Magnet School of Excellence for demonstrating MSA’s values and standards such as campus diversity and equal education opportunities regardless of ethnicity.

“Knowing that our school is receiving the award makes me feel like I’m in a school where students can really learn the best from the best teachers,” senior Aaron Ramirez said.  

The application process consists of submitting data that outlines the demographics of the school’s diversity and academic performance, as well as a detailed narrative about the achievements and the MSA values that have been met.

“I probably put at least 40 hours into this application,” Community Partnership Coordinator Rebekah Holloway said. “I knew when I took this position that we were already an excellent magnet school. What we do here and what our teachers do with our students, we’re excellent. It was just a matter of taking the time to spell it out for the application process.”

The last time the school earned the Magnet School of Excellence award was 2014. Since then, the school has been recognized as a Magnet School of Distinction. 

“One of the measurements for the award is that we reflect the school district’s demographic diversity, and in many ways, we already do,” Holloway said. “While we may not match the district’s diversity exactly, we closely reflect the demographics of the neighborhood that surrounds campus, and that’s what sets us apart.”

Thirteen magnet schools in CCSD were given Magnet School of Excellence awards including East CTA and Northwest CTA.

“I think it’s a really big honor for the school to receive this award,” senior Cameron Hernandez said. “It shows how advanced our school is. [Our school] gives [us] the opportunity for students to pursue their dream career and that’s one of many reasons this school deserves the award.”