What's New for the 2025-26 School Year?

The 2025-26 school year is upon us 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 to learn more about what’s new. 

Los Alamitos Unified School District

Griffin Center Opens 

The Los Alamitos Unified School District has spent the last several years investing money from two bond measures to improve facilities at Los Alamitos High School. This week, district leaders, students, and community members celebrated the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a large-scale construction project – a 34,000-square-foot gymnasium, known as the Griffin Center.

The new gymnasium has three courts, offering the school’s many athletic teams including basketball, volleyball, wrestling, more space to practice, play, and train. The retractable bleachers can seat 2,000 people allowing for the entire student body to attend school assemblies and rallies together.

The new gym also has a large weight training room, dual concession stands, and a giant outdoor scoreboard display that one official joked could be seen from space.

The LAHS girls volleyball team is scheduled to play the first game in the Griffin Center on September 2.

New “Power off, Minds on” Cellphone Policy 

Also new this year, the Los Alamitos USD is implementing new rules for students’ use of cellphones at school. In a 5-0 vote in June, the Board of Education adopted the new policy which states that cellphones, smart watches, AirPods, and other devices are not to be used by students during instructional time. Signs are now posted in classrooms across the district’s nine schools reminding students of the policy that devices must be turned off and stored away in the classroom. The policy also includes a stipulation that teachers cannot allow students to use their devices as a “reward” or “incentive” at any time.

The policy does allow students in grades 9-12 to access devices during non-instructional time, but preschool through 8th graders are not to use devices at all during the school day. Students are allowed to use devices if it’s an emergency or if it's needed for medical reasons. The State of California is requiring school districts to enact restrictions on cellphone use on campuses by July 1, 2026. 

Communication Boards

Students at some of the district’s elementary schools have new tools to spark up a conversation when they’re on the playground. At least two campuses, including Weaver Elementary and Hopkinson Elementary in Rossmoor, have installed colorful boards that allow more inclusive methods of communication. 

The boards feature pictures and signs that students of varying abilities can use to better express themselves. For example, students can point to the picture showing a basketball to tell a friend what sport they’d like to play during recess. Or an educator can point to an image showing an emotion or action, such as the need for water, to better understand a student's behavior. 

The boards were spearheaded by speech and language pathologists in the district and funded through an Innovation Grant from the Los Alamitos Education Foundation, the non-profit partner of the district. District officials hope to bring the boards to every elementary site.

Ocean View School District

Free After-School Childcare for TK-6 Students

The Ocean View School District is launching a program that could be a lifeline for families. Starting this school year, the OVSD is offering free after-school childcare for all students enrolled in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.

“This will support families by providing a safe and convenient option for students after the regular school day ends until 6:00 p.m. at no cost, regardless of income,” said Julie St. Cyr, the Communications and Public Information Officer for the OVSD. Activities for after-school care include working on homework, supervised outdoor play, and enrichment activities. 

The childcare will be provided at the school site where the student is enrolled. OVSD families can submit applications online.  

Expansion of Spanish Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program

The OVSD is also expanding its opportunities for Spanish Dual Language Immersion this school year at the elementary and middle school levels. 

Due to the success of the DLI program at Harbour View Elementary, the district is growing a DLI program at Golden View Elementary School. The program will start being offered to kindergarten students in the 2025-26 year and will then expand to first grade the following year with expansion progressing until all grades at Golden View are included. 

Elementary students who complete the elementary Spanish DLI program can continue their bilingual learning at Mesa View Middle School. The expanding DLI options will help prepare students for advanced coursework in high school and ultimately to earn the California Seal of Biliteracy which "recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing one or more languages in addition to English," according the California Department of Education. 

New Spanish Culture Elective at Middle Schools 

Also new this year, Marine View and Vista View Middle Schools will offer a new Spanish Cultural Elective. The course will be taught by a credentialed Spanish teacher but it is designed for all students and Spanish language experience is not required. 

“Students will explore the rich traditions, music, art, and history of Spanish-speaking cultures around the world, gaining a deeper understanding of how language and identity intersect,” according to the district.  

The new elective is being made possible through funding from Proposition 28, the ballot measure approved by California voters in 2022 that provides money to expand arts and music education.

Fullerton School District

Indoor Arts & Recreation Centers

The Fullerton School District is bringing the fun indoors for some of its junior high school students. New Arts & Recreation Centers (ARCs) are slated to debut at Nicolas Junior High and Parks Junior High this fall.  The construction of the ARC at Nicolas began shortly after voters in the FSD approved Measure N, a $262 million bond measure that was on November 2024 ballot.

The quick start on construction was made possible due to "the district’s careful budget stewardship and commitment to putting taxpayer dollars to work immediately,” FSD Public Information Officer Amber Munos wrote in an email to Spotlight Schools. 

Once completed, each ARC will have have a basketball/volleyball court, a large performance stage, and flexible space to meet community needs. Ladera Vista Junior High School of the Arts already has an indoor athletic and performing arts space.

Expansion of Zero-Emission School Bus Fleet

The FSD is offering students a more Earth-friendly commute to and from school. The district is set to purchase eight new zero-emission school buses through California’s Zero-Emission School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) program.

Thanks to grant funding, the district will only have to pay around $75,000 per bus and almost nothing to create the charging infrastructure needed to keep the buses powered. "Once in service, these buses will replace older internal combustion vehicles, reducing emissions, improving community health, and advancing California’s climate goals," according to the FSD.

Construction Trade Academy Pilot at Nicolas Junior High

The FSD's award-winning and innovative Tiny Home Project has spawned a new program. This school year, the district will pilot a Construction Trade Academy at Nicolas Junior High. Modeled after the district's Performance Academy Sports Program, "students will dedicate their advanced woodshop and an additional elective period to in-depth construction training," according to the district. The FSD is partnering with the local Carpenter's Union to offer students more in-depth lessons in the construction trade including electrical, plumbing, entrepreneurship, and business management skills.

The new program is building on the success of the Tiny Home Project. Over the past two school years, advanced woodshop students have build two fully functional tiny homes that have housed FSD families experiencing homelessness. The homes are on district-owned property near Orangethorpe Elementary.

Huntington Beach City School District

Sowers Middle School Renovation

The Huntington Beach City School District is the only district in Orange County to start the academic year in September. When students return to the campus at Isaac L. Sowers Middle School next week it will be for the first full school year on a completely modernized campus.

Last June, district officials celebrated the grand opening of the school's Phase 2 modernization. The Vikings will get to use a brand new gymnasium that also serves as a multipurpose space with a performance stage and state-of-the art AV system. The campus also has a new locker room building, expanded hard court area for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and new outdoor gathering spaces for students.

The upgrades were paid for with Measure Q, a bond measure approved by voters in 2016, facilities funding, and earnings from the sale of district property.

“This milestone reflects our community’s shared commitment to continually improving the student experience,” Superintendent Leisa Winston, Ed.D., said in a statement.

New Principal at Dwyer Middle School

Students at the district's other middle school, Dwyer Middle School, will start the 2025-26 school year with a new principal, David Okamoto.

Okamoto has nearly 20 years of experience in education as both a middle and high school educator and administrator. He earned a Master of Education in Educational Administration from California State University, Fullerton, a Master of Arts in Secondary Education from from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education from Azusa Pacific University.

Okamoto most recently served as principal of El Dorado High School in Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.

Laguna Beach Unified School District

New Superintendent

The Laguna Beach Unified School District is starting off the 2025-26 school year with a new leader. Jason Glass, Ed.D., was officially introduced as the district’s new superintendent in June. Dr. Glass most recently served as an executive at Western Michigan University and has more than 25 years of experience in education as a teacher, administrator, and more. 

Since starting in the new position, Dr. Glass has launched a 100 Days of Listening initiative to connect with the district community to “better understand its strengths and needs.” He will present a report on the listening tour to the board in October.

“Listening broadly and leading responsively,” is one of the four major commitments Dr. Glass said will guide his entry work. He also hopes to unify the district and community, support staff, and celebrate Laguna Beach Unified's “small-district advantage.” The LBUSD has four schools which serve about 2,500 students from preschool to 12th grade. It also has the highest per-pupil spending in Orange County. This fall, the new superintendent’s two children will be among those enrolled at Laguna Beach Unified schools.

Upgrades to High School Stadium

Athletes have a newly renovated stadium to compete in this school year. Over the summer, major work was completed at Laguna Beach High School’s football stadium. The stadium’s 10-year-old turf field and track was replaced “with advanced, environmentally friendly materials designed to enhance performance, safety, and sustainability,” according to the district.

The new turf is free of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and features Geofill, an infill made from natural elements that reduce surface heat. The renovation cost $1.165 million with $760,000 for turf replacement and $405,000 for the track surface overlay, according to the district.

“As one of the few shared-use playing fields in the city, this stadium is an important resource for school and community athletics,” Ryan Zajda, LBUSD Director of Facilities and Sustainability, said in a statement.

On August 29, the Laguna Beach High School Varsity football team scored their first win on the renovated field, beating Santa Monica High School 42 to 0.

Early Education Opportunities

Not entirely new, but entering its second year is the LBUSD preschool. The full-day, tuition-based program is for children from 2.9 to four years old. The preschool's mission is to "help early learners gain the developmental and pre-academic school readiness skills needed to successfully transition to elementary education and beyond," according to its website.

The LBUSD also has a transitional kindergarten program that is expanding its services to provide full-day instruction. The added hours in the morning and afternoon are fee-based and can cost between $250 to $550 dollars per academic month, depending on the needs.

Universal Transitional Kindergarten, or UTK, is relatively new statewide initiative that is being fully implemented in the 2025-26 school year. The new grade level before kindergarten is for students turning four by September 1. In the LBUSD, classes are held at both Top of the World and El Morro elementary school sites.

Do you want to share the new things happening at your campus or district this school year? Email hello@spotlightschools.com