Spotlight Schools Newsletter: October 2025
Test Scores in O.C. // 'Impact Schools' Named // ⚾️ From O.C. to the World Series // 🎃 No school on Halloween?
THE LATEST ON TK-12 EDUCATION IN ORANGE COUNTY
In this month’s Spotlight Schools newsletter:
- 👩🎓 No admissions essay required? The O.C. school districts offering high school seniors direct admission to 16 California State Universities
- Snapshot of O.C. districts' performance on 2025 California state tests
- 🗣️ Family of student who died after alleged bullying incidents asks Anaheim Union High School District to take action
- 🤔 What does the slang term "67" that's impacting math classes really mean?
👀 Read stories from Spotlight Schools outside of your inbox! Follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook for information about school board meetings, breaking news, and more. 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
O.C. Seniors Will Get Direct Admission to Some California State University Campuses
College application season is here for many high school seniors in Orange County, especially those hoping to attend a University of California (UC) or a California State University (CSU) campus. The deadline to apply to these public universities is December 1, 2025.
Some members of the Class of 2026 could be admitted to a CSU without even formally applying. “No essays, letters of recommendations and/or portfolios required,” as the CSU website reads.
CSU is expanding a direct admissions program due to new legislation (Senate Bill 640) signed into law recently by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Here’s how it works: Students at California public high schools who meet the CSU’s minimum eligibility requirements will be notified that they have automatically been admitted to 16 CSU campuses. (The system’s most competitive campuses, including CSU Fullerton and Long Beach State, are not participating).
The Capistrano Unified School District, Orange County’s largest, recently announced that all of its seniors should receive a flyer in the mail in late October or early November about their status in the direct admissions program.
“If a student meets certain academic standards, they'll receive an offer and can decide if they want to move forward with the next steps,” Erika Gardner, CUSD’s College and Career Guidance Coordinator, explained in a recent Instagram post.
Seniors with a grade point average (GPA) above 2.5 and on track to complete the CSU’s A-G coursework requirements will be “conditionally admitted to the CSU System,” according to Capistrano Unified. The Los Alamitos Unified, Garden Grove Unified and Santa Ana Unified School Districts are also participating in the expanded CSU direct admissions program.
Read the entire story at SpotlightSchools.com.
Related: Advice for filling out your college application // LAHS Griffin Gazette (Written by Spotlight Schools' Intern Amelia Gutierrez)
Advertisement
Los Alamitos High School Dance Program Presents: The Blind Tiger
SHOW TIMES: Nov. 12, 4:30 p.m.; Nov. 13-15, 7 p.m.
"My name is Moon, Detective Charlie Moon. I’ve been hired to find a missing dame, only something don’t feel right to me about this one. But then again, I’ve been known to be cynical. I’ll start with the last place anyone saw her alive… The Plymouth Club.”
1920s Prohibition America gave way to gangsters, illegal gambling, and speakeasies. These speakeasies were often referred to as “Blind Tigers” (or sometimes “Blind Pigs”). The term comes from the practice of posting a sign by a hole in a wall that would say “Blind Tiger, ten cents a sight.” The patron would put a dime in the hole and get passed a glass of whiskey in return. The Blind Tiger is an all-new film-noir style show presented by the Los Alamitos High School Dance Program. You’re not going to want to miss this period-based, highly stylized, action-packed murder mystery with lots of toe-tapping, swinging music, and dancing.
Purchase tickets now at https://www.ticketleap.events/events/lahs-dance
A Snapshot of Students' State Test Scores in Orange County
California’s latest standardized test scores are out. Released earlier this month, results from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) taken last spring show some improvement, but learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic lingers.
The state's third through eighth graders and 11th graders take part in the computer-based Smarter Balanced tests annually to measure their knowledge in English language arts (ELA), math, and science. Results from the first two subjects are included in this story. Students are classified into one of four categories based on their scores – advanced, proficient, developing or minimal to describe their grade-level knowledge and skill.
Overall, California’s 2025 scores show 48.82% of students were proficient or exceeded grade-level standards in ELA, while 37.30% reached the same achievement in math. That represents a 1.8 percentage point increase in each category from 2024, but is still lower than 2019 levels, according to EdSource.
Orange County’s results show higher levels of proficiency. For local students across the region’s 28 public school districts, county-run campuses, and charter schools, 58.89% were proficient or excelled in ELA while 49.21% met or exceeded standards in math. For ELA, the data show O.C. students' scores nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels while the results for math are still below 2019 scores.
Top-Performing Districts
The Fountain Valley School District had the highest ELA scores in Orange County with 78.72% of its students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards in 2025. The FVSD serves about 6,000 TK-8 students at ten schools located in Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach.
The Laguna Beach Unified School District had the next highest ELA scores in O.C. with 77.54% of students proficient or exceeding standards. That actually represents a drop from 2024 of just over one percentage point. In third for ELA scores is the Los Alamitos Unified School District with 75.91% of its students showing proficiency or excelling above grade-level standards. That represents a drop from last year by 2.74 percentage points.
The Fountain Valley School District also had the highest math scores in Orange County with 74.04% of its students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards, a slight increase from last year. Laguna Beach Unified was the next best with 72.13% of its students reaching the same mark in math. The third highest math scores were in the Irvine Unified School District with 70.5% of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.
The highest performing traditional campus in ELA in Orange County was Oxford Academy. The 7-12 campus in the Anaheim Union High School District had 98.52% of students performing at or above grade level. It was also the top-performing campus in math with 94.38% of its students meeting or exceeding standards. (FYI: Oxford's admissions deadline for 7th graders for the 2026-27 school year is Nov. 3.)
Jack L. Weaver Elementary in the Los Alamitos USD had the highest achievement in ELA for an elementary school with 92.5% meeting or exceeding standards. Meanwhile, Newland Elementary in the Fountain Valley School District had the highest math scores for an elementary campus with 91.3% of its students proficient or advanced in the subject.
Districts with Gains
Scores from the Anaheim Elementary School District suggest progress in its effort to improve students' literacy. State test results show 14 of the district’s 23 schools improved their ELA scores year-over-year. That includes Thomas Jefferson Elementary which saw an increase of 10.29 percentage points showing that 50.2% of its 3rd-6th graders are meeting or exceeding grade-level standards in ELA.
The Orange Unified School District also reported making gains in its state testing this year, noting that 21 of its campuses showed improvement in ELA and math scores. One example is Portola Middle School which saw increases of more than 10 percentage points in both ELA and math.
👀 Search for your school or district's 2025 CAASPP scores using the EdSource database.
Staff Report
Family of Teen Who Died After Alleged Bullying Asks AUHSD to Take Action
Editor's Note: This story discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts of self harm, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.
Family and friends of an Anaheim Union High School District teenager who died following alleged bullying incidents at Lexington Junior High School showed up at the October 16 school board meeting pleading with district leaders to take action.
According to her family, 13-year-old Mia Leah Mejia was bullied at the campus in Cypress last school year. Mia's parents allege she was shoved into a wall and had her laptop broken early in 2025. She took her own life in March.
At the Oct. 16 meeting, Mia’s mother, father, sister, brother, and many supporters addressed the board during the public comment portion of the meeting. Many speakers wore white t-shirts featuring photos of Mia.
“I humbly ask you to support my family, honor my sister’s memory, and take meaningful action so that no other family has to endure what we’re living through right now,” Stephanie Mejia, Mia’s older sister and one-time Lexington student, told the board.
She asked for the AUHSD to enact grief and support groups for Mia’s friends and classmates led by a licensed mental health professional and for students and staff to take anti-bullying and suicide education.
“We are not here to accuse,” Gustavo Mejia, Mia’s father, told the board speaking in Spanish. “We are here to ask you to join us to show this community and every student watching that when a child loses their life they are not just reduced to a statistic or a closed case, their life becomes a call to action.”
After members of the Mejia family and their supporters spoke, Board President Brian O’Neal stated that while he was not authorized to directly respond to speakers, he wanted them to know that the board is listening and that trustees take what they have to say to heart. “It doesn't fall on deaf ears,” O’Neal said.
Read the whole story at SpotlightSchools.com.
Reporting contributed by Germaine Neumann-Chau.
Orange County Department of Education Announces New 'Impact School' Recognition
The Orange County Department of Education has launched a new initiative to recognize local schools. This month the OCDE announced 12 campuses as Impact Schools identifying schools "that are leading with innovative practices making a difference for students."
The inaugural Orange County Impact Schools are:
- Magnolia High School, Anaheim Union High School District
- Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton Joint Union High School District
- Beechwood School, Fullerton School District
- Las Lomas Elementary School, La Habra City Elementary School District
- Golden View Elementary School, Ocean View Elementary School District
- Portola Middle School, Orange Unified School District
- Círculos High School at Advanced Learning Academy, Santa Ana Unified School District
- Legacy Magnet Academy, Tustin Unified School District
- DeMille Language Academy, Westminster School District
- Samueli Academy, charter school authorized by O.C. Board of Education
- TLC Public Charter School, charter school authorized by O.C. Board of Education
- Sunburst Youth Academy, located in Los Alamitos, operated by OCDE's ACCESS program
Impact Schools received special certificates and will be able to display the badge signifying the recognition. But the OCDE insists the initiative is different than other school honors because it's intended to "foster collaboration and spread effective strategies."
"Throughout the year, small teams from OCDE’s Educational Services division will visit each site to observe classroom practices, learn from educators and help scale up strategies that are making a measurable difference for students," according to the OCDE.
"We are beyond proud that our Beechwood Bobcats will help bring the magic happening across their campus to classrooms across the county and beyond, highlighting their fresh ideas, strong relationships, and purposeful design to the student experience," Fullerton School District said in an Instagram post after one of its campuses was named an O.C. Impact School.
Read more about the Impact Schools initiative at the OCDE Newsroom.
✏️ In Case You Missed it...
- O.C. Department of Education to offer districts up to $525,000 in new Innovation Funding Initiative // OCDE Newsroom
- Following the U.S. Department of Education’s ending of the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, four Orange County Schools were among 31 named as 2025 California Blue Ribbon Schools by the California Department of Education.
Students Everywhere are Saying “Six Seven,” But What Does it Mean?
This week, Dictionary.com announced "67" as its 2025 word of the year. This is the latest sign that the "nonsensical and playfully absurd" slang term popularized by Gen Z and Gen Alpha is likely to be popping up in math classes for a bit longer.
If you're a parent or teacher, you may have witnessed students giggling or struggling to contain themselves when "67" or "six seven" is heard or seen.
“Six sevennnnnn,” kids may respond, drawing out the second digit's pronunciation, and moving their hands up and down in opposite motions. For a visual on this phenomenon, check out this recent Instagram post from the Los Alamitos Unified School District taken during a visit to a classroom at Weaver Elementary.
What can make this trend difficult to understand is that students repeat “six seven” simply because it's a trend, even though it has no obvious definition.
“I say ‘six seven’ because it's funny,” Los Alamitos High School freshman Evan Mitchell explained. But what makes it so funny is harder to pinpoint. “Six seven” isn’t necessarily used by students to fit in with their peers, but rather because they've learned to think that it's funny. It can be used as a response to someone or as a joke that doesn't contain a punchline.
While some educators find it can be distracting in a classroom, other teachers are finding ways to use the phrase to connect with students.
Read the whole story by student contributor Alyssa Mathews at SpotlightSchools.com or check out the video below.
Other Stories We're Reading
Note: some links may have a paywall or require a subscription to read.
- One O.C. Elementary School among the Top 25 in California according to new U.S News & World Report ranking // Patch
- Three O.C. Middle Schools among the Top 25 in California in new U.S. News and World Report ranking // Patch
- Fullerton School Board appoints new trustee to fill vacancy // Fullerton School District
- Anaheim Elementary School District turns mental health funding into long-term care for students// Spectrum News
- The self-teaching epidemic in Advanced Placement classes // The Griffin Gazette
- These are the education bills signed or vetoed by Governor Newsom this month // EdSource
- Ethnic Studies rollout moves forward in O.C. despite budget gaps // The O.C. Register
- Corona Del Mar High School student-athlete publishes book on flag football // The L.A. Times
- Laguna Beach Unified benefits from charity dodgeball tournament // Laguna Beach Independent
- Celebrating ten years of teacher Halloween costumes at Portola High School // Portola Pilot
🎃 Halloween Fun!
Some school districts in O.C. are letting students have Halloween off this school year, giving them a long weekend as the holiday falls on a Friday. The Santa Ana Unified School District and the Tustin Unified School District have student-free days on October 31. 🕰️ Don't forget – daylight saving time comes to an end on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 2 a.m. so set your clock back one hour.
Correction: An earlier vision of this newsletter mistakenly listed daylight saving time ending on Saturday.
Kidsguide
One Last Thing...
⚾️ Before they were Stars, They Were O.C. Students
Freddie Freeman, first baseman for the L.A. Dodgers, and Shane Bieber, pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, were both student-athletes at Orange County high schools before they made it to the 2025 World Series. (Images from MLB.com)
If you're one of the millions of people (no judgment if you're not) paying attention to the 2025 World Series of Major League Baseball happening this week, you may know the names Shane Bieber, a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, and Freddie Freeman, the first baseman for the L.A. Dodgers.
But did you know these award-winning athletes honed their athletic skills playing on teams for Orange County public high schools?
Before Freeman hit a walk-off home run to win the epic 18-inning Game 3 of the World Series on Tuesday, Freeman was hitting homers playing for El Modena High School in the Orange Unified School District.
Before his pitching performance helped the Blue Jays secure a win in Game 4, Bieber was throwing strikes for Laguna Hills High School in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District.
Freeman has maintained a connection to his El Modena roots, sometimes practicing on his old field, as Fox 11 reported last year. In 2024, he was there for the unveiling of a new baseball clubhouse on the campus that he donated $500,000 to help construct. The building bears his name and likeness.
Fox 11 report from October 2024 on Freeman's connection to his alma mater El Modena High School in the Orange Unified School District.
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