West Wing School in north Peoria recently received the 2017 A+ Schools of Excellence honor from the Arizona Educational Foundation, recognizing and celebrating outstanding schools in Arizona.

West Wing was one of 39 state public schools receiving the award for the 2016-17 academic year. AEF has identified and honored exemplary pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade public schools in Arizona since 1983.

West Wing is a campus in the Deer Valley Unified School District.

Other schools in the West Valley include Marshall Ranch Elementary School and Santa Fe Elementary School, both Peoria Unified School District campuses. Marshall Ranch is in Glendale while Santa Fe is in Peoria.

This is the third consecutive term that Santa Fe Elementary School has earned the A+ distinction and the second time for Marshall Ranch Elementary School, which received it previously in 2002.

Lee Nelson, left, of Arizona Educational Foundation, presents The A+ School of Excellence award to Marshall Ranch Principal Mrs. Marla Hobbs.

Applicant schools were evaluated in the areas of student focus and support, school culture, active teaching and learning, curriculum, leadership, community and parent involvement and assessment data.

Applications are made available to Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade public schools statewide.

Evaluation of schools is based on a lengthy written application submitted by the school and a rigorous site visit conducted by a team of trained judges. In the application, each school provides demographic information, a description of current programs and practices, documentation of parent and community involvement, and a profile of the school’s principal and the school community’s commitment to excellence, equity, service and sustained high achievement.