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Bonita Unified School District

  • Bonita Unified Honors Reclassified English Learners with District Celebration

    In a festive atmosphere that embraced the coming of autumn, favoring tranquil shades of orange that reflected throughout the Bonita Center for the Arts, Bonita Unified celebrated its newest group of English learners (EL) eligible to be reclassified after passing their English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) exams during a Districtwide ceremony on Oct. 1. All BUSD schools with reclassified ELs were recognized at the same time, with 81 K-12 students eligible to participate in the ceremony, where they received a medal, certificate, and goody bag, while their families cheered them on.

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  • Bonita Unified High Schools Recognized Among Nation’s Best by U.S. News & World Report

    Bonita Unified School District’s comprehensive high schools, Bonita High and San Dimas High, have been named among the top 16 percent of public high schools nationwide in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report “Best High Schools” rankings, recognizing the schools’ commitment to academic excellence and college readiness. Bonita High School placed in the top 11% of public high schools nationwide and in the top nine percent of schools statewide. San Dimas High School ranked in the top 16% nationwide and in the top 15% of California schools. Both schools achieved graduation rates of 94% or higher.

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  • Bonita Unified’s 53rd Smudge Pot Game Unites Generations of Students in Display of Friendly Rivalry, School Spirit

    For more than half a century, the Smudge Pot has been more than just a football game in Bonita Unified – it has been a showcase of community pride, student talent, and family tradition. On Sept. 13, that legacy continued as Bonita and San Dimas high schools brought their rivalry to Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) for the 53rd annual matchup. This year marked the first time the storied contest was played at Mt. SAC’s Hilmer Lodge Stadium, where Bonita High secured its seventh consecutive Smudge Pot victory with a 28-14 win. Beyond the scoreboard, the annual Smudge Pot tradition has long been a celebration of the entire Bonita Unified community, District students’ talents in athletics and the arts. Students on both sidelines kept the energy high throughout the game; San Dimas High and Bonita High Associated Student Body (ASB) leaders led their sections in chants, while cheer and dance teams from both schools performed.

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Bonita Unified Restaurant Management Students Make Debut at ProStart Nationals, Capture Third Place

The idea for a fast-casual restaurant that invites customers to satisfy their guilty pleasures by indulging in artisan-crafted comfort food brought national attention to the San Dimas High School ProStart culinary arts program, when judges bestowed the creators of the fictitious “Cheat Day” business proposal a third-place finish at the 2023 National ProStart Invitational, held in Washington D.C. this spring. This is the first year that a Bonita Unified school has participated in the ProStart Nationals, and the highest finish for a California team in 10 years. Of more than 1,800 ProStart schools located in 50 states, San Dimas High ranks third in the country in restaurant management.

Bonita Unified Honors Exceptional Class of 2023 with Spirited Commencement Ceremonies

Under dramatic theater lights and skies filled with cascading streamers, nearly 750 graduates turned their tassels and tossed their caps into the air during commencement ceremonies that celebrated the triumphs achieved, challenges experienced and memories made by Bonita Unified’s Class of 2023. The ceremonies showcased the graduates’ excellence in their academic, athletic, artistic and extracurricular endeavors, from state awards for leadership and CIF championships to prestigious scholarships and nationally recognized culinary programs. Bonita Unified’s Class of 2023 features high-achieving graduates who will continue their education at institutions such as UCLA, UC Berkeley and Purdue University, as well as those who will enlist in armed forces or enter the workforce.

Bonita Unified Culinary Students Win California ProStart Cup, Advance to National Competition

San Dimas High School ProStart restaurant management students punched their tickets to Washington, D.C. after their idea for an unapologetically delicious, fast-casual restaurant specializing in guilty pleasure entrees won first place in the California Restaurant Foundation’s 2023 ProStart Cup. Following their victory at the state competition in March, the winning students will now advance to the nation’s capital to compete in the National ProStart Invitational in early May. This is the second time in San Dimas High School history that ProStart culinary students have won the California competition, but the first time that they will make the trip to nationals. The first-place victory was the capper in a historic day for the Bonita Unified ProStart culinary program, with five San Dimas High and Bonita High teams placing in the top five in both the culinary and restaurant management categories, and more than a dozen students winning a total of $80,000 in scholarships. Of over 200 schools with ProStart curriculum in California, only 29 culinary teams and 11 management teams were selected to compete at the state level.

Bonita Unified Commencement Recognizes Exceptional Class of 2023

Under dramatic theater lights and skies filled with cascading streamers and striking fireworks, graduates from Chaparral-Vista, Bonita and San Dimas high schools turned their tassels and tossed their caps into the air during commencement ceremonies that celebrated the triumphs achieved, challenges experienced and memories made by Bonita Unified’s Class of 2023. The ceremonies – held June 6 for Chaparral-Vista and San Dimas and June 8 for Bonita – showcased the graduates’ excellence in their academic, athletic, artistic and extracurricular endeavors, from state awards for leadership and CIF championships to prestigious scholarships and nationally recognized culinary programs. Bonita Unified’s Class of 2023 features high-achieving graduates who will continue their education at institutions such as UCLA, UC Berkeley and Purdue University, as well as those who have enlisted in U.S. Armed Forces or will enter the professional world.

Bonita Unified Elementary Students Learn Entrepreneurship During ‘Business Day’

The Shull Elementary School cafeteria, transformed into a marketplace of ideas, was loud with the machinations of commerce as fourth-grade students hawked everything from homemade jewelry and painted rocks to daisy chains and origami jumping frogs during its end-of-the-year Business Day, held June 2. The Shull Business Day is a twice-yearly event that encourages students to create their own business plans, then use play money they have accumulated over the school year to purchase, trade or bargain with their classmates and their families. Students earn money throughout the year by completing assignments and displaying good behavior, depositing their earnings in a classroom bank account only they and their teachers can access.

Bonita High School Alumna, Cornell University Student Named School’s First National Merit Scholar

Bonita High School Class of 2022 graduate Verena Padres was in an unusual place when she received the news that she had been named a 2023 National Merit Scholarship winner – Cornell University, where she was assisting in the college’s Alpha CubeSat research project. Padres, who has dreamed of working for NASA since reading a book on female astronauts in elementary school, was one of approximately 840 students across the United States to be named a National Merit scholar, receiving $2,500 to help cover the cost of her higher education. She is also the first Bonita High School student to ever receive the National Merit Scholarship. Padres, along with her twin sister Ashley, graduated from Bonita in three years; both now attend Cornell.

Bonita Unified to Honor Accomplished Class of 2023

Bonita Unified School District will conclude a successful academic year by celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2023 during commencement ceremonies for its two comprehensive high schools and continuation school. Chaparral High School will kick off the festivities with a 5 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 6 at the Bonita Center for the Arts, 822 W. Covina Blvd., San Dimas; San Dimas High School will follow with a spirited ceremony at 7 p.m. at the school’s stadium, 800 W. Covina Blvd., San Dimas. Bonita High School will close out the commencement celebrations with a 7 p.m. ceremony on Thursday, June 8 at Glenn Davis Stadium, 3102 D St., La Verne.

Bonita Unified Elementary Students Explore Learning Differences, Inclusion During Ability Fair

Grace Miller Elementary School students donned safari hats and embarked on an exploration of inclusivity during the school’s Ability Fair on April 28, which immersed students in fun-filled demonstrations of the resources and accommodations that can help their peers with special needs or different learning abilities succeed in the classroom. Students from transitional kindergarten to fifth grade rotated through a variety of stations and engaged in hands-on activities and games – from creating a visual schedule of their school day to practicing augmentative and alternative communication and requesting a treat using only a communication board – that demonstrated what it means to provide an equitable and accessible education.

Bonita Unified School District Celebrates 2022-23 Employees of the Year

Bonita Unified School District recognized the positive impact that educators and school employees can have on students’ lives – whether in just a few years or during a career that spans decades – as it honored the District’s 2022-23 Classified, Certificated and Management Employees of the Year during the Board of Education meeting on April 12. Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Kevin Lee provided a heartfelt introduction of each employee during the meeting, where the honorees were presented with flowers and received hugs and applause from their colleagues, families, friends and students. Chaparral-Vista High School registrar Cathy Schofield was named the District Classified Employee of the Year, celebrating her key role in going above and beyond to ensure that all students, parents and staff receive the support they need. Schofield, who has worked at Chaparral-Vista High for eight years and served the students of Bonita Unified for 30 years, will retire at the end of the 2022-23 school year.

Bonita Unified Sports Medicine Team Advances to Nationals

San Dimas High School’s sports medicine competition team placed sixth in the state and ninth overall in the small schools division of the American Academic Competition Institute (AACI) Sports Medicine Competition, held in March at Cal State Northridge. The competition tests students’ knowledge and practical skill in anatomy and physiology, CPR/AED, first aid, orthopedic assessment and general medical conditions through an extensive written exam, a practical exam and an interactive anatomy challenge. The team’s strong performance will advance them to the AACI National Sports Medicine Competition in May.