Antioch Charter Academy II honored as state 2025 Civic Learning Award school
Only recipient in Contra Costa County
SACRAMENTO—Thirty-four California schools have been named recipients of the 2025 Civic Learning Awards, honoring and recognizing measurable schoolwide achievements in civics. The award program, now in its twelfth year, is co-sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero.
“When young people advocate and raise their voices, they have the power to drive meaningful change in their communities,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “Education is fundamental to achieving our democratic ideals, and these schools have played an exceptional role in shaping the leaders of the future.”
“I find these award applications truly inspiring—each one is deserving of recognition,” said Chief Justice Guerrero. “They highlight the powerful stories of committed educators who, despite the challenges, are finding creative ways to ensure students can fully engage with and understand civics.”
Since their inception in 2013, the awards have been presented more than 500 times to traditional, charter, and magnet schools. In recent years, community schools and continuation schools have submitted high-ranking applications. This year, a court school applied for the first time.
Applications are reviewed and scored by a panel of judges comprised of representatives from the California courts and the California Department of Education (CDE) who are not tied to counties or districts in the pool.
In addition to the information provided by the applicant, points are added for schools in districts with Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) that include terms and actions associated with civic learning. Applicants also earn points for participating in the Judges in the Classroom program and for creating processes and criteria related to the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
Middle School: Antioch Charter Academy II earned a 2025 Civic Learning Award of Distinction
Award of Distinction in 2017; Award of Merit in 2018
Antioch | Contra Costa County
Antioch Unified School District
The Civic Learning Awards began in 2013 and are part of the Chief Justice’s Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative, which includes other programs such as Judges in the Classroom. More information is available on the CDE Civic Learning Award for California Public Schools web page.
Additional resources to support civic learning and engagement are available on the CDE Resources to Support Civic Engagement web page and the CDE State Seal of Civic Engagement web page.
the attachments to this post:
Antioch Charter Academy 2 Cheetah, award logos & seals
