Spotlight Schools Newsletter: August 2025

THE LATEST ON TK-12 EDUCATION IN ORANGE COUNTY

🎒 Backpacks are packed, pencils are sharp, and Chromebooks are charged — school is back in session! Summer break is over for thousands of Orange County students, teachers, and staff, and a brand-new school year has begun.

In this month’s Spotlight Schools newsletter, we’re tracking the big trends shaping the 2025–26 school year, plus:

• 🏫 What’s New: The fresh programs, facilities, and faces debuting across O.C.
• 💻 A.I. in the Classroom: Inside the opening of a new A.I.-powered private school.
• 🎈 Back-to-School Fun: From Disney magic to inflatable costumes, see how campuses celebrated the first day.
• ✨ Meet Our Newest Editorial Intern!

Are you on social media? So is Spotlight Schools! Follow us on on Instagram, X, and Facebook. And be sure to check out our coverage on SpotlightSchools.com.

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Yours in knowledge,

Jeannette Andruss, Co-founder of Spotlight Schools

Top Issues for the 2025-26 School Year

From federal policy shifts to declining enrollment — and new funding from bonds — O.C. schools face both challenges and opportunities in the new academic year. Spotlight Schools is following the issues that could impact students, families, and staff across the county this year.

Here’s what we’re watching:

Impact of Federal Priorities and Policies

Since returning to office, President Donald J. Trump has moved to implement his administration’s priorities, including changes to immigration policy. Increased federal enforcement efforts are affecting students, families, and schools in Southern California, including Orange County.

Earlier this month, federal officers detained a Garden Grove Unified School District father near an elementary school, in view of students and families.

"In accordance with district safety protocols, the school was placed on a brief secure lockdown to ensure student safety," GGUSD Public Information Officer Abby Broyles wrote in an email to Spotlight Schools. The father was eventually released and told the district it was a case of mistaken identity. According to Broyles, several GGUSD family members have been deported. "As a district, we follow up with each and every family to offer resources and support. We stand in support of all of our families of all immigration statuses," Broyles said.

Fullerton School District Trustee Vanesa Estrella recently explained to the Fullerton City Council how immigration enforcement operations are affecting the district.

“We began school with at least 13 families who have reported that they already left the United States entirely. These are children who no longer walk into our classrooms, children who should be there learning, laughing and growing with their peers,” Estrella said, according to Voice of OC.

According to LAist, the Santa Ana Unified School District said fears about immigration enforcement raids have prompted up to 10 families to opt out of in-person instruction and enroll students in the district's virtual program,

Another topic is uncertainty over the future of federal education funding. Most Orange County school districts are funded primarily through state and local sources, but they also receive some federal education dollars, including Title 1 grants for schools serving low-income families.

In March, President Trump issued an executive order calling for the closure of the U.S. Department of Education with a stated goal to shift federal education responsibilities to states. In May, the administration released a budget proposal that called for cutting the department's budget by 15%, according to Education Week.

“Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a March press release. In May, McMahon announced an increase of $60 million in funding for charter school grants.

In late June, the administration froze millions of dollars in education funding designated for California, including for programs supporting migrant children and English learners. The freeze was part of an ongoing review to ensure that taxpayer dollars were spent in alignment with the administration’s priorities, Chalkbeat reported.

In response to the funding freeze, California filed a lawsuit with several other states. Last week, the federal government agreed to release $900 million it had withheld from the state, according to EdSource.

“The Trump Administration upended school programs across the country when it recklessly withheld vital education funding just weeks before the school year was set to begin,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote in a press release dated August 25. The money is expected to be disbursed by October 3, according to Bonta.

Declining Enrollment and School Consolidation

Enrollment in public schools continues to decline in Orange County. Between the 2022-23 and the 2024-25 school years, enrollment dropped by around 10,000 students or 2.4% across O.C., according to EdSource. California public schools are funded based on student enrollment. Fewer students means less state money, which can result in campus consolidations, staff layoffs, or cuts to programs.

Some districts are more impacted than others. The Santa Ana Unified School District cited declining enrollment as part of the reason it laid off more than 260 employees last school year. Meanwhile, the Orange Unified School District and Capistrano Unified School District are both exploring options for school consolidation. Key decisions could be made this year on which campuses may be affected. The news is different in the Irvine Unified School District which has actually seen a slight increase in enrollment over the past two school years.

Bond Measure Bonanza

In 2024, voters in nine local school districts approved multi-million dollar bond measures to fund infrastructure improvements. This school year we could see boards make decisions on how to spend that money and construction of new projects.

In February, the Brea Olinda Unified School District Board of Education approved plans on how it will spend some of its Measure H bond money. The board designated $119 million to modernize Brea Junior High School with projects including building a multi-purpose room event center and more parking. The Anaheim Union High School District has a $496 million bond in Measure K. While it's not clear the board has allocated funding to specific projects, it has identified several needs including a major renovation of Walker Junior High School. Similarly, the Santa Ana Unified School District has developed a Facilities Master Plan outlining proposed improvements at its school sites, but it's not clear if the SAUSD Board of Education has decided how to spend any of the $355 million from the Measure I school bond.

Did we miss something? Please respond to this email with topics you think we should be tracking this academic year.

What's New for 2025-26?

The fresh facilities, fresh programs, and fresh faces debuting this academic year in Orange County.

It’s a fresh start for thousands of students and educators in the area who will embark on a new year of instruction, learning, competing in sports, and participating in arts and activities. Several of the region’s 28 public school districts are debuting new facilities, welcoming new leadership, offering new programs, and implementing new policies.

Spotlight Schools reached out to a few districts and here is some of what we learned:

• The Laguna Beach Unified School District replaced the turf field and track at Laguna Beach High School in a renovation that cost more than $1 million.
• The Los Alamitos Unified School District opened the Griffin Center at Los Alamitos High School, a 3-court gymnasium paid for with bond money. 
• Students at Sowers Middle School in the Huntington Beach City School District will return to an extensively renovated campus.
• The Fullerton School District is building modern Arts and Recreation Centers at two of its junior high schools.
• The Ocean View School District is now offering free after-school care to all TK-6 students enrolled in the district. 
• The Orange Unified School District has a new superintendent, Rachel H. Monárrez, Ph.D.

See pictures and find out what else is new this school year by reading the whole story at SpotlightSchools.com.

Los Alamitos Unified Celebrates Opening of New Gymnasium

The 34,000-square-foot Griffin Center at Los Alamitos High School was built using bond money.

Spotlight SchoolsPress Releases

A.I.-Powered School Opening in Orange County

A private school network from Texas that utilizes artificial intelligence for instruction so students can “crush academics in just two hours” a day is coming to Orange County. 

Alpha School Lake Forest is slated to open this school year. It plans to serve about 25 students in kindergarten through third grade this fall, with plans to add fourth through eighth grade classes by next year. The campus is located within the boundaries of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. Tuition is $50,000 a year.

Alpha School says it is reimagining education by disrupting the teacher-standing-in-front-of-the-classroom model of instruction embraced by traditional K-12 schools for decades. Students spend two hours a day completing personalized academic assignments at a computer with A.I.-powered software and applications. 

“Guides” — Alpha School’s term for teachers — are present but do not instruct or plan lessons. Instead, they motivate students to meet daily academic goals determined through individualized assessments powered by A.I.

“We are not the dystopian A.I. robot sitting in the front of the classroom teaching your kids,” Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price said. “What our kids are instead getting is this one-to-one mastery-based experience where the kids are able to be met exactly where they need [to be].” 

Read more about Alpha School on SpotlightSchools.com.

Meet Our Newest Editorial Intern

Students are a top focus of our coverage at Spotlight Schools and we're always looking for ways to center their voices in our stories. To help in that effort, Spotlight Schools has had several students serving as editorial interns in the newsroom.

We're pleased to announce Amelia Gutierrez as the latest student reporter to join the team. She is a senior at Los Alamitos High School and reached out to Spotlight Schools with an interest to contribute reporting last spring.

"At this internship, I hope to develop my skills as a journalist, and gain job and marketing experience," Amelia wrote in an email message to Spotlight Schools.

Amelia is already a published journalist. Last school year was her first year as a contributing writer for the Griffin Gazette, the student newsroom at Los Alamitos High School.

Read more about Amelia and our internship program at SpotlightSchools.com.

Other Stories We're Reading

Note: some links may have a paywall or require a subscription to read.

• U.S. News and World Report Ranks the Best High Schools in Orange County // Patch // Info from Districts: Garden Grove USD; Irvine USD; Newport-Mesa USD; Saddleback Valley USD
• An O.C. teen was suicidal. He confided in ChatGPT // The New York Times // Also see story from Patch
• Newport-Mesa Unified student killed in stabbing // The Los Angeles Times
• Laguna Beach Unified reviews mobile device policy and student board members share their views // The Laguna Beach Independent
• Advanced Placement scores improve at Capistrano Unified // Capistrano Dispatch
• How La Habra became O.C.’s first ‘Early Childhood Friendly City’ // The 74
• Should I Use ChatGPT for My Child's Health? // Children's Hospital of Orange County
• What a recent Supreme Court ruling means for classroom content and parental rights // O.C. Department of Education Newsroom
• Transitional kindergarten, Head Start, preschool and more: What’s the difference? // EdSource
• Should California phase out ultra-processed foods at schools? // Patch

Celebrating the Start of the School Year

Across O.C., students stepped onto their campuses for the new academic year greeted by elaborate balloon arches, handmade signs, colorful chalk art, student leaders cheering with pompoms, and more, as the Orange Department of Education Newsroom has been documenting.

For a few select schools in Anaheim, the school year kicked off with surprises from their world-famous neighbor, the Disneyland Resort. The legendary theme park known as "The Happiest Place on Earth" is celebrating its 70th anniversary. As part of its “70 Happiest Hours” initiative, Disneyland threw a first day of school party for more than 800 students and staff at Crescent Elementary in the Orange Unified School District.

In the Fullerton School District teachers at Robert C. Fisler School decided to tap into a reality television trend to connect with students starting their school year. More than a dozen teachers took part in their own "The Masked Dancer" performance and the results were entertaining.

"As part of the district’s commitment to whole-child health and development throughout the school year, middle school students across the district kick off each school year with a spirited 'Palooza' designed to build community and connection," FSD Public Information Officer Amber Munos shared in a press release.

The best part? Students at the K-8 school got to guess which teacher was disguised as which character "spreading laughter, school spirit, and plenty of Palooza energy," Munos wrote.

Read more about the fun back-to-school celebrations at SpotlightSchools.com

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