Railroad Canyon Elementary School Receives Title I Academic Achievement Award

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that 209 California public schools have been selected for the 2010-11 Title I Academic Achievement Award, and in Lake Elsinore made the list.

"These schools have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the education of their students and have achieved impressive results," Torlakson said in a March 30 news release. "I congratulate all those who put forth the extra effort that resulted in this prestigious award—school administrators and staffs, teachers, parents, and, of course, the students themselves."

The Title I Academic Achievement Award is given only to schools receiving federal Title I funds as authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the release stated.

"Title I is the single largest federal educational program for K-12 public education. Title I funds assist schools in meeting the educational needs of students living near or at the poverty level. Of the more than 9,000 schools in California, more than 6,000 of them participate in the Title I program," the release continued.

"The criteria to qualify for the Title I Academic Achievement Award have become more rigorous in recent years. To meet the criteria for this distinction, the school must demonstrate that all students are making significant progress toward proficiency on California's academic content standards. Additionally, the school's socioeconomically disadvantaged students must have doubled the achievement targets set for them for two consecutive years," the release stated.

Part of the Lake Elsinore Unified School District, Railroad Canyon Elementary is a California Distinguished School that serves a racially diverse student body of more than 600 K-5 children.

According to 2009-10 data, 74 percent of students at Railroad Canyon Elementary were Hispanic or Latino, 16 percent were white, 7 percent were African American.