fbpx

Bonita Unified School District

  • Bonita Unified Kicks Off 2025-26 School Year Filled with Promise, High Expectations

    Bonita Unified School District kicked off its 2025-26 school year on Aug. 18 in grand style, welcoming approximately 10,000 students from transitional kindergarten (TK) to 12th grade with smiles, hugs, and activities meant to foster a strong sense of community and new levels of excellence. The new school year festivities began with an orientation for the District’s youngest learners on Aug. 14, when they met their teachers and classmates, received tours of their new campuses, played games, and acclimated themselves to their new environments.

    Read More

  • Bonita Unified Students Learn Volunteer Skills, Teach Dance Through Project Think Summer Program

    Bonita High School senior Aaron Edwards loves to dance. As a member of the school’s award-winning D Street Dance Team since he was a sophomore, dance has transformed Edwards’ life. Presented a chance to share his enthusiasm and talent with young children, this summer Edwards served as a dance instructor and volunteer for the Project Think Academic Enrichment Program, held at Pitzer College in Claremont. Working primarily with children ages four to six, Edwards introduced them to basic dance moves and choreographed a short routine that culminated in a Project Think student dance performance. At the end of the summer session, Edwards was joined by his D Street classmates for an exclusive performance for Project Think students and staff.

    Read More

  • Bonita Unified Alumna Helps Students Prepare for Healthcare Careers Through MedReach

    When Bonita High School Class of 2022 graduate Alexa Garcia arrived at UCLA for her freshman year, she was hoping to find community among the nearly 46,000 students inhabiting the university’s vast campus. Now a senior at UCLA, Garcia eventually found her way to MedReach, a UCLA outreach organization whose students serve as mentors for L.A.-area high school students interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare industry. MedReach offers six “Ready for Healthcare” seminars during the year, both online and in-person, where high school students learn about short-term and long-term careers in the medical field, learn medical terminology through puzzles and games, and examine case studies to observe doctor-patient interaction.

    Read More

Bonita Unified Cybersecurity Students Learn What It Takes to Become Ethical Hackers

In an age of rapid technological advances, as the risk of falling victim to a cyberattack continues to rise to unprecedented levels, San Dimas High School is training a new generation of cyber defenders and tech troubleshooters to become ethical hackers through its Information Technology (IT) and Cybersecurity class. The class, led by San Dimas High computer science teacher Leslie Leaming, is a hands-on learning experience where students rebuild and repair devices, design games, develop websites, and attempt to solve real-world cybersecurity challenges. The comprehensive course gives students an opportunity to explore lucrative careers in the IT and cybersecurity fields.

Bonita Unified Students Receive College-Level Internships Through Regional Center Program

Bonita Unified high school students looking toward careers in the healthcare industry have received invaluable experience as interns, thanks to an exclusive partnership with the San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center (SG/PRC), which provided the students access to college-level no-cost training in the psychology, nursing, and social work fields Six Bonita Unified students took advantage of the career technical education (CTE) learning opportunity, which concluded in mid-May. The inaugural SG/PRC interns are: San Dimas High seniors Jazmine Cardenas (social work) and Marlie Walker (social work), San Dimas High junior Kamryn Henderson (psychology), and Bonita High juniors Morgan Salcido (psychology), Ranin Sour (nursing), and Katherine Situ (nursing).

Bonita Unified Color Guard Earns Gold Medal After Yearlong Competition Hiatus

The San Dimas High School Color Guard took its program to new levels when it earned a gold medal at the Winter Guard Association of Southern California (WGASC) Color Guard championships in April, a stunning turnaround for a program that took a yearlong hiatus from competition only to come back stronger than ever. Performing a show inspired by the System of a Down song “Toxicity,” the San Dimas team – which featured three Lone Hill Middle School students – gave a stirring performance that earned first place in the Scholastic AAA division and gave the Color Guard its first gold medal since 2010.

Bonita Unified Mathletes Shine, Take Home Awards at 2025 Los Angeles County Math Field Day

Bonita Unified School District students showcased their passion and skill for math at the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s 2025 Math Field Day, earning top honors in a rigorous academic competition that challenged students to think critically, collaborate, and problem-solve. Teams of students from grades four through eight represented the District at the competition on April 26, after placing first at Bonita Unified’s own Math Field Day in March. The District’s top-performing teams advanced to the county level, where they continued weeks of training and preparation under the guidance of their coaches.

Bonita Unified Sports Medicine Program Punches Ticket to AACI National Competition

The San Dimas High School Sports Medicine team will make its fifth consecutive trip to the American Academic Competition Institute (AACI) National High School Sports Medicine Competition after turning in another stellar performance at the AACI California regionals in March, with its 20-member team placing sixth in the state for medium schools. The SDHS Sports Medicine team continues to expand under the leadership of San Dimas athletic trainer and teacher Jessica Truax, who is now in her fifth year at the school, which mirrors the AACI competition team’s five consecutive years of reaching nationals.

Bonita Unified’s San Dimas High ProStart Culinary Team Makes History with Trip to Nationals

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.

Bonita Unified’s Gladstone Elementary School Joins Elite Group of California Distinguished Schools

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.

Bonita Unified Schools Recognized Among State’s Best in 2025 U.S. News & World Report K-8 Schools Rankings

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.

Bonita Unified Celebrates 2025 Employees of the Year for Dedication, Impact

Three Bonita Unified employees, known for guiding students in the classroom, supporting athletes on the field, and cultivating creative environments, were celebrated as the District’s 2025 Employees of the Year for their lasting impact across the District and their school communities during the Board of Education’s April 9 meeting. Bonita High School teacher, athletic director, and coach Darren Baumunk was honored as the District’s 2025 Certificated Employee of the Year; Mary Udria, a certified occupational therapy assistant in Specialized Services, was named as the Classified Employee of the Year; and Bonita Center for the Arts theater manager Melissa Stone received the Management Employee of the Year award.

Bonita Unified Choir Students Celebrate Selection to SCVA Junior High Honor Choir

Now in her 12th year, Ramona Middle School music teacher Caitlin Shaw has provided the crucial link between elementary school novice singers and Bonita High School’s prestigious Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. With more than 270 students in her program, Shaw teaches singers how to harmonize, read music, and prepare for auditions and live performances. Channeling Shaw’s mentorship and guidance, 11 Ramona music students, along with three Bonita High School freshmen, have been selected to join the Southern California Vocal Association’s (SCVA) 2025 Junior High Honor Choir, underscoring the hard work and dedication that epitomize Bonita Unified’s successful and award-winning Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs. Ramona placed more students in the honor choir than any other Southern California school. The SCVA Junior High Honor Choir 2025 spring performance will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 at Portola High School in Irvine.