Four Kern County Schools Named 2025 California Purple Star Schools

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced this week that 83 schools have been designated as a Purple Star School in 2025, bringing the total number of California schools recognized with this honor to 179 since the program’s inception in 2023. This includes four schools in Kern County:

Las Flores Elementary, Sierra Sands Unified
Rosamond High Early College Campus, Southern Kern Unified
Tropico Middle, Southern Kern Unified
Westpark Elementary, Southern Kern Unified

The California Purple Star School Designation Program (Purple Star Program) seeks to reduce the burden on military-connected students and their families by articulating the most critical transition supports available. The Purple Star Program is a way to publicly recognize and designate schools that meet certain requirements, and signals which schools are the most committed and best equipped to meet the unique needs of these students and their families. 

The Purple Star Program was designed to help mitigate the challenges of high mobility by setting standards for and publicly designating military-friendly schools. 

“Congratulations to the educators, staff, administrators, parents, and students at these schools,” said Thurmond. “These schools are crucial to supporting our military-connected students, ensuring that they maintain their academic, college, and career aspirations while their parents serve our country.”