The school was nominated by the state to receive a national award for high academic achievement.

Principal Andrew Ishibashi announced the school’s nomination to students and staff via the PA system during Mods 14-15 on Jan. 10. Ishibashi was phoned by and later received a letter from state superintendent of public instruction, Tom Torlakson, that it was one of 35 schools in the state to be nominated for the annual National Blue Ribbon Award. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program acknowledges public and private elementary, middle and high schools based on either high performance or considerable improvement compared to previous years, according to the National Blue Ribbon Award Program’s website.

With no more than 372 schools nominated nationally in 2011 and a mere 315 winning the honor, Lowell is by no means a shoo-in for the Blue Ribbon Award. “We have to hit our Academic Performance Index and Adequate Yearly Progress goals in order to be applicable for the award,” Ishibashi said. The AYP is a series of academic goals specific to each school determined by the state, while the API is a number between 200 and 1,000 reflecting a school’s performance level based on standardized state testing. In 2010, Lowell’s API was 949, according to City-Data.

Two years ago, Lowell was recognized as a California Distinguished School, which determines eligibility to receive the Blue Ribbon award based on API reports, according to the California Department of Education's website. “My personal vision is to develop a community where we care, believe in, teach, challenge and support all students to learn and grow to become successful citizens,” Ishibashi said.

Ishibashi commended students, teachers and faculty for their hard work. He said the nomination “exemplifies that we are still one of the best public high schools in the nation and the world.”

A version of this article first appeared in the Jan. 27, 2012 print edition of The Lowell.