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# Malibu High School honored for overall excellence
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/malibu-high-school-honored-for-overall-excellence/
- Published: 2003-04-28T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T02:06:06.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import

*Malibu High School honored for overall excellence*

*By Daily Press staff*

Malibu High School was honored for its overall excellence ear-lier this month when it received the state’s “Distinguished School Award.”

Malibu High is one of 52 high schools and 78 middle schools statewide that received the award. There are 2,228 middle and high schools in California.

“It’s very prestigious,” Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy said. “It’s really quite a positive.”

Deasy said the school was nominated on the strength of its academic performance index, which is largely based on test score improvements.

Malibu High then officially requested the honor. It was reviewed through a rigorous process of testing, reviews and an on-site evaluation, according to a press release issued by the school.

The 130 schools ultimately selected were drawn from a pool of 400 applicants. “We should all be extremely proud of ourselves and the community,” Malibu High Principal Mike Matthews said in the release. “It’s a wonderful recognition of the outstanding teachers, staff and students.”

The school will maintain the distinction for four years. On May 16 the state superintendent and the president of the State Board of Education will formally recognize California Distinguished School honorees at an awards banquet in Anaheim at the Disneyland Hotel.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 28, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042803.pdf?ref=smdp.com)