ACSA celebrates outstanding student honorees who inspire us with their courage and resilience.

Each year, ACSA recognizes 19 pre-K-adult students, one from each geographic region, as well as two California adult education students, for overcoming the odds and achieving success.

ACSA believes every student deserves equal opportunities to succeed. On every school day throughout California, dedicated educators and courageous students overcome tremendous obstacles to reach their goals of academic excellence.

Their success is our success; their powerful stories are our inspiration, reinforcing our commitment to every student succeeding.

Program Information

Nomination Form

Timeline & Recognition

Check with your region leadership for the nomination submission process and deadline.

Students are honored at ACSA’s Leadership Summit Every Student Succeeding Ceremony in November, as well as at various regional events.

ACSA will feature each student in a video and publicize their stories in EdCal and on social media channels.

Contact Us

Please contact Emily Agpoon with any questions.

every student succeeding recipients

Student Honorees

We sincerely congratulate all this year’s student recipients at the charter, region and state levels.

View Current Recipients

Student Recipient Archives

Access archives of student recipients since the program was established in 1996.

Student Recipient Archive

Student Story Archive

Purpose and Eligibility

Purpose. The purpose of ACSA’s Every Student Succeeding award is to honor students at all grade levels (pre-K to adult education) who have succeeded against all odds, beyond expectations or simply won the hearts of the administrators and other educators who helped them achieve their goals. One student from each region will be honored.

Eligibility. Nominees should be students who have made a special effort to succeed and have overcome obstacles such as:

Overcoming physical and mental barriers
Returning to school
Leaving a gang
Improving their attendance
Changing their attitude

They should also be active in:

After school programs
Community service
Student conflict resolution
Cross-age tutoring
Peer mediation
Peer tutoring

Nominees can come from programs such as:

Alternative Education
At-risk
Bilingual
Continuation School

Nominations

Nominations must be sent directly to the nominee’s region. Each region will select one winner and honor them at region events throughout the year.

Check with your region leadership for the region submission deadline and process. All nominations must be submitted to your region or charter leadership.

The official statewide PDF nomination form must be submitted to the state.

Nomination Form

For Region Leaders Only

Regions leaders, email your completed 2026 student winner’s nomination form (one student recipient per region) to the state ACSA Awards Program coordinator by March 2, 2026. Please reach out if you have questions or need help.

Emily Agpoon, ACSA Awards Program | 916.329.3833 |

Each year, ACSA’s Every Student Succeeding Awards program recognizes 19 pre-K-adult students, one from each geographic region, as well as two California adult education students, for overcoming the odds and achieving success.