We are proud to announce that Stratford School has been selected as a 2025 CLASS Outstanding K-16 Chinese Program Award winner! This award, given by the Chinese Language Association of Secondary and Elementary Schools, honors excellence in curriculum innovation, student learning, and community engagement through Stratford’s Mandarin program.

On November 22, 2025, Stratford Mandarin teachers Xiaozhen Li and Wenbo Shao attended the CLASS Awards luncheon at the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) convention in New Orleans. Stratford also received a $1,000 award for our program, along with two 2026 CLASS memberships.

After only a few years of implementing our new Mandarin language programming, we are excited to receive such a prestigious recognition. Due to the popularity of our Mandarin language programs, which now include Mandarin Bilingual, Mandarin Specialty Language, and Mandarin After-School, we have continued to expand Mandarin world language options at select campuses. In the fall of 2026, three Stratford campuses, Milpitas Beresford Square, San Francisco Parkside, and San Jose Almaden, will open a Mandarin Bilingual classroom for Early Preschool (aged 2), giving the popular dual language program an even earlier start.

“This national recognition celebrates our collective commitment to teaching excellence, purposeful language learning, and cultivating cultural competence,” said Allison Wilson, Senior Director of Curriculum and Innovation. “We’re proud of the hard work of our educators and dedication to our students and their education.”

Stratford has been a longtime proponent of world languages, with Spanish language being taught since the founding of the school, starting in preschool. We are thrilled to offer Spanish and Mandarin language learning options from preschool through high school

Congratulations to all of our Mandarin program educators and our school leaders for what has been a tremendous success for language learning at every level. We look forward to celebrating this recognition and many more to come! 

Click here to learn more about the CLASS K-16 Outstanding Chinese Program Award. For more information about Stratford’s Mandarin programs, please visit stratfordschools.com/our-programs/mandarin-programs/.