These Fresno schools were named among healthiest in the nation. Find out why
Some of the country’s healthiest schools come from the same school district in Fresno, an education nonprofit organization found.
Biola Pershing Elementary School, Glacier Point Middle School and Houghton-Kearney Elementary School were recognized by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. All three schools belong to the Central Unified School District.
The organization recently released its 2025 awards recognizing schools that have implemented best practices to support “the health and well-being of students, staff, and families.”
The award program focuses on nine topic areas:
- Supporting school health services
- Strengthening social-emotional health and learning
- Implementing local school wellness policy
- Promoting tobacco-free schools
- Improving nutrition and food access
- Cultivating staff well-being
- Bolstering physical education and activity
- Increasing family and community engagement
- Enriching health education
Principals at the three schools weighed in on how they’ve fostered these strengths and what the recognition means for their students and staff.
School health services and social-emotional learning
Principal Chelan Shepherd feels an immense level of pride over receiving the award for school health services and social-emotional health and learning at Biola Pershing Elementary this year — at a time when students are still dealing with the social, emotional and economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, she told the Fresno Bee.
Many families in the tiny, rural farming area of town don’t have regular access to health resources, Shepherd said. The town itself spans three streets with the school right in the middle, and 98% of the students are considered economically disadvantaged, she said.
“We have been working very hard to take care of our kids,” she said during an interview Monday, Aug. 18. “We’ve worked very hard to bring the resources to the school.”
Students can receive health care through the school’s mobile clinic — a converted motor home capable of providing various medical services, including vision and dental care, Shepherd said.
They can get medical examinations, teeth cleanings and vision screenings during the school day. Medical professionals can find a cavity and fill it that day. They can give a vision screening and have glasses ready for the student by the end of the day.
And in the last year, the school was able to open a mental health and wellness center using grant funding, Shepherd said.
“We really in the last two years have firmly established that the community needs resources and we’re bringing those services to the community. We’re really proud of it,” she said, adding that her first year as principal at the school was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. “It’s been really exciting to see the transformation happening, being built in our community.”
The school has also built social-emotional learning right into its framework, both in and out of the classroom. There are areas for “calming corners,” where students can go to regulate their emotions throughout the day. A full-time intervention counselor is on staff to guide students through emotional regulation and social skills.
Plus the school has a social-emotional learning program baked right into the curriculum from kindergarten to sixth grade, Shepherd said.
In kindergarten, that looks like students circling up to identify and share how they’re feeling using color cards. The color blue might indicate sadness, because maybe their parents had to leave to go to work and they miss them, she said.
In the older grades, students are learning to articulate how someone might have harmed them and how to resolve conflict, she said.
“The beautiful thing is wellness and social/emotional learning does not have to be taught in isolation. It can be brought into your language arts teachings through reading and writing prompts, the characters in the stories you’re talking about. It can be taught through having empathy with different cultures and groups in social studies classes,” she said.
Shepherd’s goal for the next school year is to meet Healthier Generation’s criteria in adult wellness among the school’s staff. The awards formalize what the school is already doing, and the staff are “excited” to be celebrated, she said.
Shepherd pointed out all three schools to receive awards in Fresno are from the same school district, which she said is a “testament to the culture and values as a district focused on student wellness and providing necessary resources for our students.”
Houghton-Kearney Elementary School was also recognized for having strong school health resources.
The elementary school also participates in the mobile dental and vision clinic program, provides vision and hearing screenings each year and connects families with community resources such as vaccination clinics and opportunities for sports physicals, Principal Courtney Gendron told the Fresno Bee in a statement.
“Here at Houghton-Kearney, we pride ourselves in creating a welcoming and safe learning environment for all students,” Gendron said. “Healthy students are better learners, and in turn, it impacts student success. This award provides recognition for our staff who work hard to build systems that support our kids each and every day.”
The staff at the school makes student wellness “a priority,” Gendron said in the statement.
“They provide daily support for students’ physical health, as well as preventative care and education for not only our students, but also our families. By addressing both immediate needs and long-term wellness, our health team ensures that every child has the opportunity to be successful,” she said. “This award celebrates the dedication of our staff and reinforces our belief that when we care for the whole child, we create opportunities for success, lifelong health, and a stronger community.”
Staff well-being
Staff well-being is what Glacier Point Middle School does best by Healthier Generation’s standards. It’s the fourth year in a row the school has been recognized as one of the country’s healthiest schools for staff, Principal Adam Hogan said.
A newly-renovated staff room offers instructors and other staff an inviting environment to relax in outside of their classrooms, he said. The staff typically has some kind of celebration each month, whether it’s a potluck or a birthday party.
“We make sure we have the opportunity monthly to come together as a staff and spend time together as people to foster positive interactions between each of us and lower some of that stress,” he said.
They also participate in fitness challenges together, he said. They start meetings with icebreakers and shoutouts, and the different department heads rotate offering themed snacks and decorating duties.
The staff also maintains an interactive bulletin board where they can leave positive messages on post-it notes, or take one when they need it, he said.
“I’m happy to work in a place where we have the opportunity to serve our staff so they can come to work and be prepared to serve our students,” he said. “I’m honored to be able to work with a great group of people and I’m honored to be able to give them the tools they need to be successful.”
How do the awards work?
To be considered for an award, schools must submit an application in the categories it wants to be considered for, and provide proof of its work in that category, according to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The nonprofit organization then selects which schools to recognize each year.
This year, 1,120 schools in 34 states and Washington, D.C. were recognized. Information about the 2026 application will be announced this fall, the nonprofit said.
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
