iPoly High School, a college preparatory institution operated in partnership with Cal Poly Pomona, has been honored for academic achievement under California’s new Gold Ribbon Schools Awards Program.

The California Gold Ribbon Schools Award was created to recognize schools in place of the California Distinguished Schools Program, which is on hiatus while education officials formulate a new assessment system. In 2013, iPoly also earned a Distinguished Schools award.

iPoly is one of only 180 high schools statewide to earn one of the awards, which were announced on May 14. It is run by the Los Angeles County Office of Education in partnership with Cal Poly Pomona and is situated on the university campus. The school gives a hands-on classroom experience to aspiring teachers in the College of Education & Integrative Studies.

To state their case for award consideration, iPoly students made a presentation about project-based learning during their four-year curriculum to a visitation team that assessed the school.

“We are very really excited about winning this award,” said Principal Jennifer Flores. “It’s great when people from the outside come to our school and see what the students have learned. I’m amazed to see how much these students have grown through the four years.”

Schools applied for the award based on a model program the school has adopted that includes standards-based activities, projects, strategies and practices that can be replicated by other local districts. The new award targets middle and high schools this year, and will include elementary schools in 2016.

“These schools are academically successful, vibrant, and innovative centers of learning and teaching,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson in making the announcement. “They provide great examples of the things educators are doing right — embracing rigorous academic standards, providing excellence and creativity in teaching, and creating a positive school climate.”

The Gold Ribbon awards recognize California schools that have made gains in implementing the academic and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education, including the California Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, California English Language Development Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards.

iPoly High opened in 1993 with 12 students, and has since grown to 500 students representing more than 40 cities from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Students represent the multicultural profile of Southern California.