Horace Mann Elementary School has been selected as a 2020 Best Urban School by the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST). The award recognizes schools that serve predominantly low-income students and exceed several performance indicators, including excellent achievement scores, high attendance rates, low suspension rates and high graduation rates for every demographic group of students. Mann Elementary was one of only 16 schools nationwide and the only school in Los Angeles County to receive this honor.

The school was recognized Oct. 13 at a virtual awards ceremony during the America’s Best Urban Schools Symposium. At the symposium, representatives from each of the winning schools had an opportunity to present essential practices critical to their success to an audience of public school educators and leaders from across the nation.

“Our Horace Mann Elementary administrators, teachers and staff are transforming the lives of Glendale Unified students and benefiting our community for generations to come,” said Glendale Unified Board President Dr. Armina Gharpetian. “My fellow board members and I are thrilled to celebrate this much-deserved honor with our entire Mann Elementary community.”

“Principal Rosa Alonso and our amazing teachers and staff at Mann Elementary have fostered a culture of high achievement using a collaborative, data-driven approach to teaching and learning,” said Glendale Unified Superintendent Dr. Vivian Ekchian. “They prove what is possible when you set high standards and maintain a relentless focus on ensuring every child has the tools they need to succeed.”

Horace Mann Elementary serves a diverse population of approximately 630 students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade. The school was recognized as a California Distinguished School in both 2020 and 2018, and has previously been recognized as a Gold Ribbon School and a Title I Academic Achieving School by the California Department of Education. In 2019, Mann Elementary earned a Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association for implementation of their “PLC Plus” professional development program. Ninety-one percent of Mann Elementary students are socioeconomically disadvantaged and 56 percent are English learners.

The NCUST was founded as part of the QUALCOMM Institute for Innovation and Educational Success at San Diego State University. The mission of the NCUST is to help urban school districts and their partners transform schools into institutions where all students achieve academic proficiency, evidence a love of learning, and graduate well-prepared to succeed in postsecondary education, the workplace, and their community.