2016 Project READ Grant
Manzanita became the first charter middle school in WCCUSD to join a five-year Project READ grant. This allows Manzy students to participate in three scientifically-based reading programs: READ 180, System 44 and English 3D. Manzanita teachers have been trained in the Project READ Common Core aligned online tools and hard copy materials and receive ongoing support Project READ coach Chantel Caldwell.
2015 Math Students Win Chromebooks
Manzy math students entered the Khan Academy LearnStorm competition with 1,700 other Bay Area schools in February 2015. After appearing on the top 100 leaderboard for many weeks, Manzy finished the competition as 1 of the top 30 schools. For their efforts, Manzy students were awarded $11,000 for 30 free ChromeBooks from Google.org and free at home wifi from Comcast for 6 months.
2014 Students Win Generation Civics Day Awards
Manzanita students received two awards at the Generation Citizen Civics Day competition in December 2014 for their project on preventing and further reducing racial bias in the Richmond Police Department: The Collaboration and Diversity Award & The Student Change Maker Award
2013 Students Win Challenge Day Video Scholarship
Manzanita's Student Government won Challenge Day's 25th Anniversary/National Bullying Prevention Month's video scholarship contest with "A Story of a Bullied Girl".
2012 Voted Best Charter Middle School
Parent's Press readers voted Manzanita the Best Charter Middle School in Contra Costa County in July 2012.
2007 California Certified Charter School
Manzanita became a California Certified Charter School through the California Charter Schools Association.
2005 California Distinguished School
Thanks to the hard work of our students, teachers, staff and parents, Manzanita was awarded the California Distinguished School honor in the spring of 2005, just in time for the successful renewal of our charter with the West Contra Costa School District.
According to the California Department of Education (CDE), of the nearly 2,300 California middle and high schools in 2005, fewer than 465 were eligible to apply for the honor based on their Academic Performance Index (API) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results. The charter schools that applied in 2005 underwent a rigorous selection process conducted by the CDE and the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association. Representatives from each of the California Distinguished Schools were formally honored on May 20, 2005 at an awards ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California.