Elevate: Westminster School District Publishes its 2025-26 Annual Report
July 30, 2026
Westminster School District (WSD) has published its 2025–26 Annual Report, an open accounting of what the district committed to and what it delivered. The report carries a single theme drawn from the district's own core values: Elevate — the relentless pursuit of a growth-minded culture of excellence, perseverance, and self-discipline.
The theme is a measurable one, and the year's record was built to be read that way. Attendance rose against the prior year. Bond savings exceeded the district's own projection. A middle school earned a state distinction for the third time. A dual language program added a second kindergarten section because demand outgrew the first. Elevate is not a description of ambition in this report; it is the shape of the data.
The report is organized around the five focus areas of WSD INSPIRES!, the strategic plan the Board of Education approved on August 10, 2023 to guide the district through 2029. Each focus area carries specific, numbered objectives, and this report measures the year against them. WSD INSPIRES! was written and implemented by a cross section of the Westminster community — teachers, parents, city partners, translators, the Westminster Family Resource Center, the Council of PTAs, and district staff which makes reporting against it a matter of returning to the people who wrote it.
Westminster School District has served families since 1872. Across 154 years it has grown into one of the most complete early learning continuums in Orange County, beginning with infant care at four months and continuing through eighth grade across 16 schools and the Land Early Learning Center.
Focus Area 1.0 — Academic Achievement and Continuous Innovation
What the plan commits to: expanding targeted specialty programs across all schools to attract and retain students (1.6), delivering Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to close the achievement gap (1.5), and establishing a comprehensive districtwide arts program (1.7).
Raising the ceiling, and the floor. Stacey Middle School earned its third California Distinguished School honor in the Achievement Gap Closers category, announced by State Superintendent Tony Thurmond in March 2026 and based on 2025 California School Dashboard data. The category matters to the theme: the honor recognizes schools that accelerate progress among historically underserved student groups while maintaining strong outcomes for all students. That is objective 1.5 achieved, and it is elevation measured where it is hardest to produce.
In May 2025, all three middle schools — Johnson, Stacey, and Warner — earned California Schools to Watch recognition, a distinction awarded to schools that pair academic rigor with genuine responsiveness to early adolescent development.
Objective 1.6 asks the district to expand specialty programs that attract and retain students, and growth is the measure. The Dual Language Immersion model began at DeMille Mỹ Việt Language Academy in 2015 as California's first Vietnamese DLI program, marked its tenth anniversary in June 2025, and now reaches five campuses.
At Finley, a second kindergarten section was added in the program's first year because demand exceeded capacity. Every campus carries a distinct academic focus, from Computer Science and Innovation at Finley to Visual and Performing Arts at Webber, Environmental Science at Fryberger, Digital Media Arts and Design at Eastwood, and the GATE Magnet and STEAM³ Academy at Sequoia.
External recognition rose with the programs. Warner Middle School earned the 2026 CABE Seal of Excellence, joining DeMille and Willmore, honored in 2022–23. Land Early Learning Center was recognized with the CABE Seal of Excellence for its dual language infant, toddler, and preschool programs, and DeMille received the CABE Visionary Board Award. In June 2026, Stacey received a $10,000 Future Innovators Initiative grant from Hyundai as one of ten schools selected in Orange County.
Students set their own marks. Johnson's Laurie Lam and Warner's Katie Rojas each earned $10,000 AVID Angel Scholarships, and Rojas's t-shirt design was selected as the program's national winning design. Warner's archery team placed second at the California State Championship in April 2026.
Warner students raised Pismo clams for marine restoration and worked alongside Westminster High School students on a mural inspired by the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. Warner science teacher Renee Balboa earned a Fund for Teachers grant to join an Arctic Discovery Educators Expedition in Alaska — professional growth pursued well beyond the classroom.
Focus Area 2.0 — Student and Staff Safety and Wellness
What the plan commits to: a systematic and measurable approach to social, emotional, and behavioral support (2.2), districtwide safety systems and current procedures (2.4), and an environment that promotes daily attendance and a sense of connectedness (2.5).
Moving up the tiers. The California PBIS Coalition awards recognition in ranked levels, which makes it an unusually direct measure of a growth-minded culture. Every WSD campus earned recognition for 2025–26, announced in September 2025: Stacey and Warner at Platinum, eleven schools at Gold, DeMille and Johnson at Silver, and Eastwood at Bronze.
Objective 2.5 produced the year's clearest gain. Districtwide attendance climbed to 95.7 percent from 95.43 percent, the district recovered more than two million instructional minutes and the number of students with ten or more absences declined. Those minutes are the practical form of elevation: instructional time that existed only because students were present to use it.
Behind the figures is a Community Schools framework built on four pillars: integrated student support, family partnerships, expanded learning opportunities, and collaborative leadership, supported by a Multi-Tiered System of Supports that scales from schoolwide social-emotional learning to wraparound case management.
Staff capacity rose alongside student outcomes. More than 80 employees including counselors, school psychologists, specialists, administrators, and district leaders, completed coordinated threat assessment and response training with the Orange County Department of Education and county law enforcement agencies, with additional training spanning emergency operations, restorative approaches, trauma-informed strategies, behavioral supports, and suicide prevention.
In July 2026, district leaders presented "Building Safer Schools Through Tiered Supports and Whole-Child Partnerships" at the National Safe Schools Conference in Garden Grove, before educators, law enforcement professionals, mental health experts, and school leaders from across the country.
Students raised the standard themselves. Warner's Videography class, led by Kurt Reisig, placed second in California and first in Orange County in the statewide Directing Change film contest for "Some Will Always Have Your Back," produced in partnership with the Orange County Health Care Agency's Office of Suicide Prevention.
"The safest schools are built on trust. While secure campuses and emergency preparedness remain essential, we believe true safety is created through relationships, a sense of belonging, and strong partnerships with families" said Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen,Ph.D.
Focus Area 3.0 — Fiscal Solvency and Organizational Health
What the plan commits to: examining investment and debt structure strategies to secure the most financially sound terms (3.6), fiscal oversight at school and district sites (3.4), and funding the marketing plan for recruitment and retention (3.2).
Exceeding the district's own projection. On April 1, 2026, WSD completed the sale of its 2026 General Obligation Refunding Bonds, a refinancing that will return $2.39 million in savings directly to local taxpayers through lower property taxes. When the Board approved the transaction in January 2026, the projected figure was $2.0 million. The district delivered nearly $400,000 beyond its own estimate.
Moody's affirmed the district's Aa2 rating throughout the process, citing strong fiscal management and property wealth. Investor demand was substantial: more than $99 million in orders from 15 investor groups for $28 million in available bonds, a 3.6-times subscription rate that gave the underwriter leverage to secure a final interest rate of 3.09 percent including all fees. The refinancing closed on May 7, 2026.
This is objective 3.6 carried out in full, and the result reaches the property tax bills of families across Westminster, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, and Midway City.
Board President David Johnson framed the year within a six-objective approach to fiscal solvency that maps directly to the plan: streamlining district systems, funding the marketing plan, deepening community partnerships, fiscal oversight at every site, the long-range Facilities Master Plan, and examining investment and debt structures.
“The savings from the refinancing are great for taxpayers because they result in lower property taxes,” said Manuel Cardoso, the District’s Assistant Superintendent of Business Services.
Focus Area 4.0 — Community Connections
What the plan commits to: streamlining communication to ensure consistent district messaging and branding (4.2), strengthening educational, business, and community relationships (4.4), and developing strategic marketing plans that attract and retain families to increase enrollment (4.5).
Raising what families can expect from a school district. Westminster's open enrollment policy means no family is limited to a single attendance boundary, and each school offers a distinct specialty program, so families can choose the program that fits their child rather than the address on their mail. Free before- and after-school care runs at every site, and early learning begins as young as four months at Land Early Learning Center.
The district expanded what it offers beyond the school day. In partnership with Scouting America Orange County Council, WSD launched a free after-school Scouts pilot for grades one through five at Finley and Schmitt elementary schools, meeting weekly on campus at no cost to families, with more than 80 students enrolled on the first day. Students continue into Scouting at the middle schools after fifth grade, and program materials are available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Visibility rose as well. Westie, the district's official Bell Mascot, was introduced at the January 2026 Governing Board meeting, and the Where's Westie? campaign launched publicly on April 26 with appearances at the 5th Annual MathCounts Competition at Johnson Middle School, hosted by the Vietnamese American Aerospace Peer Association, and at the inaugural Cruzin' for Kids event hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Westminster.
The year's civic milestones raised the district's history into public view. The Mendez Freedom Trail was dedicated on April 14, 2026, a two-mile interpretive path along Hoover Street developed by the City of Westminster in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education, featuring four educational stations with interactive and augmented-reality exhibits in multiple languages. Sylvia Mendez and her family were recognized for carrying forward the legacy of Mendez v. Westminster. In September 2025, the Westminster City Council's Hispanic Heritage Month proclamation specifically recognized WSD's Spanish Dual Language Immersion programs.
Direct family support continued year-round through the Helping Hands Pantry, Hope & Home Boutique, and backpack distribution drives, which together have distributed more than 62,000 pounds of food and roughly 1,800 backpacks of school supplies with the help of hundreds of volunteers. The district also maintains an Immigration Resources webpage with translated materials and community referrals.
This year, WSD continues to support families through the 2026 Backpack Event, taking place on August 20th at Johnson Middle School. Families are invited to attend and pick up free backpacks and school supplies for their students.
Melissa Duffey, the Westminster Council PTA President and mother of Anderson Elementary School students shared, “As a parent, nothing matters more than knowing my child is safe when they walk into school each morning. We trust our schools not only to educate our children, but also to protect them. WSD understands that school safety is about so much more than locked doors and emergency plans. It’s about creating an environment where every child feels physically safe, emotionally supported, and connected to caring adults. Seeing the district’s commitment to school safety reassures me that my child’s wellbeing is a priority every day, and I know that we’re partners in this shared responsibility.”
Focus Area 5.0 — Leadership Development and Employee Success
What the plan commits to: creating career growth pathways that build capacity within the district (5.4), providing training and coaching that support a high-performance culture (5.5), and recruiting and retaining high-quality staff (5.6).
Growth measured in careers. Melissa Towning of Johnson Middle School was named Teacher of the Year in May 2026 for building an inclusive spirit-cheer program that brings together general education students and students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Christina Hirales, principal of DeMille Mỹ Việt Language Academy, was recognized twice in March for her leadership of California's first Vietnamese–English Dual Language Immersion program. Gerardo Martinez, Executive Director of Educational Technology, received the Technology Innovator of the Year award in June 2026 from Orange County CUE, the county's educational technology association, for his work on the district's AI Taskforce and i4 Innovator Program. Rich Montgomery, Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources, was named 2026 Personnel/HR Administrator of the Year by ACSA Region 17, which serves all Orange County school districts.
In March 2026, two WSD educators were recognized at the Vietnamese Language Teachers Honoring and Year of the Horse Celebration hosted by the Union of Overseas Vietnamese Language Schools. Many more educators and staff were honored across the district, at board meetings, at school sites, and by partners throughout Orange County. Mrs. Okura, a teacher at Clegg Elementary, was named Teacher of the Year in June 2026, the second time she earned the honor in three years.
Perseverance is part of what the district means by Elevate, and this year it was visible in the length of service of our retirees. For example, Nell Drees, a teacher at Clegg Elementary, retired after 38 years of service. Rob Murdock, principal of Schroeder College & Career Academy, retired after 30 years, one of six retirees from this school whose service together adds up to more than 160 years. Vickie Hungerford, a fifth-grade teacher at Schroeder, retired after spending all 29 years of her career at the school. Between them, more than a century has passed in WSD's classrooms, and every year of it was built around the students who walked in each morning.
An invitation to families
WSD INSPIRES! challenges the whole community to ignite, connect, create, trust, elevate, and model. In 2025–26 the district chose Elevate, and the value of Trust set the terms for how the year would be reported: accountability, transparency, and authenticity with educational community partners. Publishing this record against the plan's own numbered objectives, rather than around them, is what that asks for.
The district's stated goal is to become the safest elementary school district in Orange County, where every student feels safe enough to learn and supported enough to thrive.
Enrollment for the 2026–27 school year is open. Families are invited to read the full annual report, explore the specialty programs available across every campus, and enroll online.