Our History

Westminster School District (WSD) is a TK-8 school district located in Orange County California. WSD provides outstanding educational opportunities for students in Westminster, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, and Midway City. It was established in 1872 and is known for being the first school district in the state of California to offer a Vietnamese-English Dual Language Immersion Program.

Over its 150 year history, Westminster School District has grown from a single wooden building to a total of 17 schools within its jurisdiction, which includes 14 elementary schools and 3 middle schools. The Vietnamese-English Dual Immersion Program was introduced in response to the growing Vietnamese population in the area and the desire to provide bilingual education opportunities for students.

Westminster School District was a defendant in the case of Mendez vs. Westminster. This was a landmark court case that played a crucial role in the desegregation of schools in the United States. The case was filed in 1945 by Gonzalo Mendez, a Mexican-American father, who challenged the segregation of Mexican-American students in Orange County schools, including the Westminster School District. The case resulted in a federal court ruling in 1947 that declared school segregation based on race or national origin unconstitutional in California. This decision paved the way for subsequent desegregation efforts in the state and across the country.