The 2025 Magna Awards recognize three Grand Prize winners for innovation and creativity in solving an education challenge.
This year's Grand Prize winners include a district that created comprehensive assistance for students with autism, a college access initiative that has transformed college readiness and equity, and an expanded program to address the mental health needs of students and the school community.
March 14, 2025
Celebrating 30 years of showcasing innovative school district programs that benefit their students and communities, the Magna Awards have hit a milestone anniversary: They have been recognizing innovative school district programs for 30 years. This year’s winning programs—the Grand Prize winners and the Silver Award winners—represent the enormous efforts of school leaders and district staff to reinvent and rethink education for their students, staff, and communities.
We present these winning programs in the hopes that you will discover information that you can use in your districts. Our profiles give you an overview of the programs, including evidence of success. We include district contact information so you can find out more from the school leaders and staff who manage these initiatives.
In addition to the following stories, we created an opportunity for you to learn from the three Grand Prize-winning districts. They will be presenting their programs at NSBA’s Annual Conference on April 6 in Atlanta. Conference registration information is available online at https://nsba.org/events/2025-annual-conference.
We invite you to connect with your peers to gain insights and practical ideas to solve challenges faced by your students and communities.
As we celebrate the Magna Awards’ 30th anniversary, changes are coming to the 2026 awards program. Read more about those changes in “Students Learn Better with Clean Air” by Jill Buck.
Lovington Autism Center for Education and Services (L.A.C.E.S.)
Lovington Municipal Schools
Lovington, New Mexico
Under 5,000 enrollment
THE LOVINGTON AUTISM CENTER FOR EDUCATION AND SERVICES (L.A.C.E.S.) PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS ON ALL LEVELS OF THE AUTISM SPECTRUM, BOTH ON THE L.A.C.E.S. CAMPUS AND IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LOVINGTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS
The Lovington Autism Center for Education and Services (L.A.C.E.S.) is a specialized program that provides instruction and support services to students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Established in 2010, L.A.C.E.S. was created to respond to the growing challenges faced by students with autism who struggled to thrive in traditional classroom settings. As the population of students and families impacted by autism grew, the need for additional support became evident. Both general and special education staff needed enhanced resources and specialized training to better serve these students. Additionally, families in the community sought assistance from the school system, which unfortunately lacked the capacity to meet their needs effectively.
District leadership, with full support of the board of education, formed an autism resource team to explore solutions. Select staff members underwent extensive training, both from local universities and regional autism programs, including on-site professional development provided by the University of New Mexico Autism Program. However, with Lovington’s grade-level school structure, maintaining enough trained staff in autism-specific instructional strategies across all school buildings proved challenging. Administrators decided to repurpose a formal industrial arts building, transforming it into an Autism Center that would serve as the hub for autism instruction. Special education teachers, instructional assistants, and therapists were reassigned from various school sites to form the founding staff.
L.A.C.E.S. is more than just an instructional center—it is dedicated to supporting students with autism and their families. While staff emphasizes traditional academic subjects, it also prioritizes teaching independence, self-advocacy, functional skills, and social skills to ensure that students are well-equipped to navigate life beyond school. The goal is to reintegrate students into the general education system when they are ready. L.A.C.E.S. provides a supportive environment that fosters their ability to become active members of their academic classes, peer groups, and eventually, society.
Some students attend L.A.C.E.S. for their entire school day, receiving both academic and functional instruction, along with necessary therapies. Others may attend for only part of their day. For students who require additional classroom support, instructional assistants accompany them.
This is the 14th year that L.A.C.E.S. has been in operation. The program has provided education, therapies, and services for more than 150 students with autism. The overwhelming majority of students who attend L.A.C.E.S. during early elementary years are able to increase their time for meaningful inclusion in the general education environment.
The L.A.C.E.S. program is staffed by a team of five full-time teachers, 29 full-time instructional assistants, two speech-language pathologists, a certified occupational therapist, two certified occupational therapist assistants, and a special education diagnostician.
The Lovington Municipal School District serves around 3,400 students across its schools. Approximately 85% of the student population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. Around 10% of students are White. A significant portion of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. About 18% of students receive special education services.
CONTACT
Superintendent Pamela Quiñones
Compton Goes to College!
Compton Unified School District
Compton, California
5,000 to 20,000 enrollment
COMPTON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT’S FLAGSHIP COLLEGE ACCESS INITIATIVE HAS
TRANSFORMED COLLEGE READINESS AND EQUITY THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
PHOTO COURTESY OF COMPTON UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Compton Goes to College! was developed to address the inequities and disparities for students in the Compton community. Only 7% of Compton residents had earned a bachelor’s degree. The district’s poor outcomes, particularly at the high school level, were significant, as only 60% of students were graduating from high school and only 27% of students were completing the A-G course requirements for admission to California colleges and universities. The district offered very few Advanced Placement (AP) and college courses, and there was no data, programming, support, or direction being provided around these areas.
The College & Career Readiness department was established nine years ago to increase college access and equity for a community that has been historically disadvantaged. The goals were to increase high school graduation rates, college acceptance rates, A-G completion, AP/college courses, fourth-year math rates, CTE completers, and FAFSA completion.
The department team included a director, a college counselor at each high school with a college center, and a specialist that supported their work, along with a data analyst.
After seeing success with the Early College High School, the district started an Early College Satellite program at each high school campus to increase access and the number of students who can earn their associate of arts degree and/or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC).
The district launched a program where students can participate in a three-year degree program, allowing them to decrease their time to degree while also saving money. Students begin their college career at Compton Unified, followed by Compton College, ultimately earning their bachelor’s degree at Charles Drew University.
Students are required to graduate with A-G requirements, beginning with the class of 2024. Additionally, the district increased access and equity for students in alternative education by providing satellite campuses for continuation high schools.
The district has invested in college readiness supports, including staff to assist students with the college application process. It created college centers at all high schools, hiring higher education coordinators and partnering with various college access programs.
A partnership with the College Guidance Initiative (CCGI) has students participate in college and career lessons as well as financial aid planning and applications. Furthermore, all students must graduate with a postsecondary plan, ensuring that every student has a well-thought-out strategy for their future.
Through these initiatives, the district ensures that every student graduates from high school with A-G completion, having completed a CTE pathway, taken two AP/college courses, and completed a postsecondary plan.
The district has seen significant impacts on student outcomes. High school graduation rates have increased dramatically, from 60% to 91%. Similarly, A-G completer rates have risen by 33%, growing from 27% to 60%.
Coursework rigor has increased, too. For example, access to AP classes has expanded significantly. Since 2015, 1,299 more students have taken at least one AP exam, and the total number of AP exams administered has increased from 962 to 2,827 in 2024. Importantly, all AP exam fees are waived to remove financial barriers for families.
The district also has expanded the dual enrollment program. Courses now are offered during the day, in the summer, and after school. As a result, the number of college courses taken by students has increased dramatically, from 23 in 2015 to 3,617 in 2024.
The Compton Unified School District serves 17,000 students in 24 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and four comprehensive high schools. The student population is 80% Latino, 18% African American, and 2% classified as other; 93% of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch; and 23% are English learners. The vast majority are first-generation, college-bound students.
CONTACT
Jorge Torres
Senior director, college and career readiness
Expansion of Mental Health Services
Charles County Public Schools
La Plata, Maryland
Over 20,000 enrollment
CHARLES COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS EXPANDED ITS DELIVERY OF STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES GUIDED BY THE BELIEF THAT GOOD MENTAL HEALTH IS AS IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH TO STUDENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Post-pandemic, Charles County Public Schools saw an unprecedented explosion of mental health needs among its student population, as well as in the community. Many community mental health service providers were inundated with referrals and had limited openings for families, even for acute situations. Severe behavior outbursts in the schools increased. The district needed immediate answers to a complex issue. District leaders believe that mental health is the school’s responsibility. The pandemic exposed many issues affecting students that originate from challenges outside of school. If these underlying factors in their lives are not addressed, students will not be available to participate effectively in the classroom.
District teachers consistently identify student behavior as one of, if not the most challenging concern in their classrooms. In addition, Charles County Public Schools prides itself as a community hub, meeting the needs of students and the community. District leadership reimagined the delivery of mental health services.
The plan included four main areas of focus: increasing access to services; embracing remote mental health options; identifying and capturing funding for services, and early intervention screenings.
Historically, the district worked with outside providers to supplement the mental health services provided by school psychologists, counselors, and social workers. However, contracted options are limited. The district reached out to a broader audience to identify additional providers to offer more options to students and families. It engaged with a large, national organization, Hazel Health, to provide remote mental health service to students and families.
To address concerns about mental telehealth services, including staffing, supervision, student privacy, and monitoring, the district worked with building principals to ensure adequate space and supervision for the services. Safeguards and alerts are in place in cases of emergency situations with students during remote sessions. Registration processes along with consent forms are monitored and tracked by school personnel. Staff and Hazel representatives meet weekly to track progress of the program.
Local funds would not be enough to address the post-pandemic needs arising with the student population. The district sought grant funding through a number of partnerships and state-based sources for funding. CCPS worked with the Charles County Department of Health to add a behavioral health clinician position while also securing funding through the state Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC).
Four programs received various levels of CHRC funding. The programs included teen mental health first aid training, the remote mental health services, in-person therapy services, and after-school programming. The district has been implementing the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program for the past several years, with a full rollout to all seven high schools last school year. The program is designed to educate students on the signs of worrisome behavior and how to refer a “friend” for support. Grant funding has been secured to offer restorative practices training in all schools, while the district continues to offer Move This World, a social-emotional learning platform for all 22 elementary schools, and BARK for Schools, an early alert system for student concerns.
From November 2023 to November 2024, 2,071 total remote sessions have been provided along with 906 students referred. Approximately 75% of referrals have been generated by school personnel. Typical times from referral to first session is approximately two weeks. Typical length of treatment ranges from six to 10 sessions total.
Charles County Public Schools is made up of 38 schools and seven educational centers that serve some 28,000 students in the southern part of Maryland. Its student population is 57.3% Black, 16.2% White, and 15.1% Hispanic. About 47% of students receive free or reduced-price meals.
CONTACT
Superintendent Maria V. Navarro