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For the fourth time since 1989, Berkeley Arts Magnet School has been selected as a California Distinguished School. 

The school was among 233 elementary school campuses that have been chosen for the award, State Superintendent of Schools Delaine Eastin announced Monday. 

“These schools are committed to a superior standard of education, making them leaders in the education community,” Eastin said in a news release. 

Berkeley Arts Magnet previously was named a Distinguished School in 1989, 1993 and 1997. Another Berkeley campus, Malcolm X Arts and Academics Magnet Elementary School, was selected as an honorable mention this year. 

The Berkeley Unified School District achieved a singular feat in the state this year: It was the only district to have two schools – Malcolm X and Berkeley Arts Magnet – honored with the Excellence in Arts Education award. 

“A panel identified 16 schools whose arts education programs serve as models of excellence for others,” Eastin noted.  

“The inclusion of this category reflects my strong support of arts education as essential and integral to the basic education of all students in California public schools.” 

The “special emphasis” award follows a pattern established by the federal Department of Education and its National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which has begun honoring schools that excel in specific areas of education, including arts education, “character education” and “service learning.” 

The Distinguished School program does not evaluate every school in California, but only those campuses that choose to apply for the award. This year’s arts emphasis award winners were chosen from applicants to the Distinguished School program. 

The awards will be presented in May at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.