Covina-Valley Unified School District will celebrate the opening of Covina High School’s cutting-edge aviation and aerospace career technical education (CTE) classroom, which is designed to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities and real-world experience. The CTE pathway introduces students to the fundamentals of aviation and aerospace while preparing them for future careers in the field.
Valley Alternative High School (VAS) has been named a 2025 Model Continuation School by the California Department of Education, a prestigious honor that highlights the school’s unwavering commitment to supporting students in earning their high school diplomas and preparing for their future. Valley Alternative is one of 74 schools across the state to receive this recognition, reflecting the school’s commitment to meeting students’ needs through flexible class schedules and hands-on learning. Teachers, counselors, and staff work together to provide consistent support and make thoughtful decisions on how to best support each student. Weekly staff meetings are held to review students’ academic performance, behavior, attendance, and overall well-being, fostering a collaborative approach to enhancing the school environment.
The San Dimas High School ProStart culinary program will represent the state of California at the National ProStart Invitational – to be held May 2-4 in Baltimore – after its five-student “Let Them Cook” culinary team plated a nearly flawless three-course meal at the California Restaurant Foundation’s CA ProStart Cup, taking the top prize and making history for the school and Bonita Unified School District. This is the third year in a row that a Bonita Unified school has been awarded the title of “Team California,” after the Bonita High School ProStart culinary team took first place in the 2024 CA ProStart Cup and the San Dimas ProStart management team did the same in 2023.
South Hills High School senior Michael Yuan has devoted his high school years to academic excellence, athletic achievement, and musical passion. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma candidate, varsity swimmer, and dedicated band member, Yuan exemplifies what it means to be a well-rounded student – an achievement that earned him the prestigious Edison Scholarship. Each year, Edison International awards 30 high school seniors a $50,000 scholarship to support their pursuit of higher education in science, technology, engineering, or math. This marks the third consecutive year a South Hills student has received the distinguished award.
Gladstone Elementary has earned its first-ever California Distinguished School recognition from the California Department of Education (CDE), marking the 21st time in Bonita Unified history a District school has received the prestigious honor for closing the achievement gap and demonstrating exceptional student performance. This year, 336 elementary schools received the California Distinguished School award, putting the Griffins in the top 6% of elementary schools in the state. The CDE uses multiple metrics to select California Distinguished Schools each year, such as chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, and scores in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics, as measured on the California School Dashboard.
Jurupa Hills High School junior Ashley Suarez has been chosen to serve as Fontana Unified’s Board of Education student representative for the 2025–26 school year, as the District continues its commitment to student empowerment and shaping future leaders. Suarez was selected following a competitive application and interview process with the Board on April 23. In her role as student representative, she will provide the Board with valuable insight on behalf of the District’s student body.
Hacienda La Puente Unified’s annual Art Show transformed Willow Conference Center into a gallery of imagination from March 26 to April 3, showcasing more than 1,000 student-created works centered on the theme, “Kaleidoscope: A World Where Many Pieces Fit Together.” The original art pieces were created by students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12, and the gallery featured live performances during opening night from the Fairgrove Academy Jazz Band, Glen A. Wilson High School Korean drummers, and the District’s middle school Mariachi ensemble made up of students from Orange Grove and Sparks middle schools.
Rosemead High School senior Carmen Ung was in second grade when her father came home with a family gift, a Dell tabletop computer. Ung was immediately fascinated – the way the screen lit up her face, the ability to explore new worlds with a touch of the keypad – she knew right away that technology would change her life. As her computer skills grew rapidly over the next several years, Ung set a goal for herself to become a driving force in the world of tech and use tech to help change lives for underrepresented students in low-income communities – whether through artificial intelligence, software engineering, or computer science. The Ivy League-bound senior is now well on her way to achieving these goals.
Truman Middle School teachers Christopher Leach and Kurtis Yinger have been recognized for their commitment to student success, earning regional or state-level honors for their impact inside and outside the classroom. Leach, a language arts teacher, was named a finalist for the California League of Middle Schools Educator of the Year award. Yinger, a history teacher, was recognized as a History-Social Science Educator of Excellence by the Inland Empire Council for Social Studies (IECSS).
Bonita Unified School District continues to distinguish itself as one of California’s top-performing districts, with all 10 of its elementary and middle schools ranking in the top 32 percent of schools statewide in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best K-8 Schools list. The Best K-8 Schools rankings are based on U.S. Department of Education data from more than 79,000 public schools nationwide. The rankings evaluate performance in mathematics and reading/language arts, considering student background and achievement. Ties in overall scores were broken by student-teacher ratios. Each of Bonita’s eight elementary schools – Allen Avenue, Ekstrand, Gladstone, Grace Miller, La Verne Heights, Oak Mesa, Roynon, and Shull – placed in the top 32% of 8,773 elementary schools in California. Grace Miller, Roynon, and Oak Mesa elementary schools ranked in the top 15%, and Shull placed among the top 4%. In the middle school rankings, Lone Hill Middle School and Ramona Middle School placed in the top 21% and 11%, respectively, of California’s 7,160 middle schools.
