California Distinguished School - Does It Mean Anything?

I noticed this announcement in today's OC Register:

Thirty Orange County public middle schools and high schools have been named California Distinguished Schools, the state's top honor for campuses.

The prize goes to just 10 percent of campuses statewide.

Selection is based primarily on test scores. Statewide, 261 schools were selected. The state also requires about half the winning schools to have at least 40 percent of their enrollment from low-income families.

The award rotates annually among elementary campuses, middle schools and high schools. Last year, 49 elementary campuses in the county were chosen as distinguished schools.

Mission Viejo High School was one of the this year's winners. I know from having two kids go through there that it's an outstanding school, but after reading the criteria above, I wonder if the designation really means anything?

MVHS isn't one of those schools with 40% of the kids coming from low income homes, but why is that a requirement for some of the winners? Either a school is excellent or it isn't. The income make-up of the students should be meaningless.

What that criteria tells me is the state is willing to forgive a fair amount of excellence in exchange for political correctness.

And given the way the awards are rotated among different levels of schools, my guess is that one way or the other the State guarantees that everybody will be a winner eventually.

Awards for excellence should mean something. I'm not sure this one does.