What the Numbers Say About Westminster School District
April 27, 2026
Behind the awards and the programs is a body of evidence that families can actually evaluate. Here it is.
Enrollment season produces a lot of claims. Every school calls itself excellent. Every district says its teachers care deeply and its programs are exceptional. Families trying to make a real decision for their child have to sort through the language and find something solid underneath it.
WSD's contribution to that effort is the record.
Thirteen WSD schools have earned California Distinguished School recognition — the state's highest designation for academic achievement and innovative practice. The district has received 7 CSBA Golden Bell Awards from the California School Boards Association, honoring programs that demonstrably improve student learning. Every WSD school holds Common Sense Media recognition — 32 in total — for responsible and effective technology integration in the classroom. WSD is also a member of Digital Promise's League of Innovative Schools, a national network reserved for districts leading on technology-centered, student-focused learning.
These are not participation awards. Each reflects an external evaluation of what is happening inside classrooms, measured against standards the district does not set for itself.
The district's dual language program offers one of the clearest windows into student outcomes. Students enrolled in dual language are outperforming district averages by 10 to 20 percent — a gap that reflects not just the program's design, but the consistency of instruction behind it.
Behind every data point is a teacher. WSD's instructional staff is recognized formally — through the district's annual Teacher of the Year, Curriculum of the Year, and Employee and Administrator of the Year programs — and informally through a professional culture that draws accomplished educators and gives them the conditions to do sustained, meaningful work. The district's teacher retention rate stands at 99 percent. That number matters: the continuity it represents sets the difference between a school community and a rotating cast of strangers.
The district is guided by a 2023–2029 Strategic Plan organized around five pillars: Academic Achievement, Student and Staff Safety, Fiscal Solvency, Community Connections, and Leadership Development. It is a publicly accountable framework — not a mission statement — for how every decision at the district level connects to what happens in a classroom.
"As the premier PreK–8 district in Orange County, Westminster School District staff, students, and families are pleased to partner with our community to provide a safe and engaging experience — reinforcing regular attendance and educational achievement every day," said Gunn Marie Hansen, PhD., Superintendent of Westminster School District.
Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D., was named the 2024 Orange County Superintendent of the Year, a recognition that reflects both the district's outcomes and the institutional direction she has set. Her tenure has coincided with a period of sustained external recognition — not as a result of rebranding, but of consistent investment in what actually happens in schools.
Enrollment for 2026–27 is open now. Visit https://www.wsdk8.us/ to apply or explore our schools.