Escalon High School has been included in a prestigious group, named to the Gaston Caperton Honor Roll, one of just 130 districts across the country to earn the recognition.

District Superintendent Ron Costa said the inclusion of the school on the honor roll “speaks to the hard work and dedication” of the staff and administration in helping meet student needs, as well as efforts of student themselves.

The College Board makes the selection and utilizes multiple data sets to select recipients.

Costa said there are several criteria that have to be met for a school district to be considered. Among them are increasing the number of underrepresented students who took the SAT, increasing the number of underrepresented students who took an AP course and exam, increasing the number of underrepresented students who were on-track for college, demonstrated by scoring a 1550 or better on the SAT. The district also increased the number of underrepresented students who scored a 3+ on an AP exam and increased the number of underrepresented students who sent their SAT scores to at least four colleges.

The Escalon Unified School District, Costa added, has focused on serving the underrepresented students and he said those efforts are paying off in the success rate and now, the school’s inclusion on the prestigious honor roll.

Manteca Unified School District, Los Banos and Turlock United are among the other California districts selected for the Gaston Caperton Honor Roll.

Costa said the unique thing about inclusion is that districts can’t apply for the honor – it is based on studies done by the College Board itself, determining whether districts are meeting the criteria for serving their underrepresented students and helping to keep them on the college path.