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Bonita Unified School District

  • Bonita Unified Alumnae Sisters Bring Paris Olympics Mural Documentary to District Community

    When San Dimas High School Class of 2005 graduate and visual designer Kat Bingley – known professionally as “Katbing” – was asked to collaborate with French street artist Kekli to create the towering nine-story “Games 4 All” mural, celebrating the Olympic spirit in the runup to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, it was a milestone in her career. With her to record the process for a documentary film was her twin sister Barbara Bingley-Verseman, also a 2005 San Dimas graduate. It was an experience that brought the pair even closer together, and a first-time collaboration from two former students of longtime San Dimas High art teacher Dominic Black. The alumnae got a hero’s welcome home when the film, “Le Mural,” received a special screening at the Bonita Center for the Arts on Sept. 26, with the pair sitting for a Q&A after the film, discussing their whirlwind two-week visit to France and reminiscing about their time at San Dimas High. The screening was hosted by Black, with the Q&A moderated by San Dimas High Class of 2020 graduate Eve McFarland.

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  • 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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24 Bonita Unified High School Students Honored by College Board for Academic Achievement

The College Board has recognized 14 Bonita High School and 10 San Dimas High School students with National Recognition Awards, an honor given to underrepresented students for academic excellence. Each Bonita Unified student received the award for placing in the top 10 percent of students taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test or placing in the top 10 percent of Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores among California Hispanic, African-American or Indigenous students.

Bonita Unified Announces Administrative Promotions, New Hires for 2022-23 School Year

Two Bonita Unified elementary schools began the 2022-23 school year with new principals, one of a series of administrative promotions and new hires that include two new assistant principals at Bonita High School, a new assistant superintendent of business services, and new senior directors of fiscal services and educational services. The promotions include Nicole Grant as La Verne Heights Elementary School principal, Joshua Richards as Bonita High assistant principal, Sonia Eckley as the assistant superintendent of business services and Dr. Jaymi Abusham as senior director of educational services. New to Bonita Unified are Gerard Granade as Ekstrand Elementary School principal, Rene Gonzalez as Bonita High assistant principal and Jazmin Ortega as senior director of fiscal services.

Bonita Unified School District Board of Education Appoints Interim Superintendent

The Bonita Unified Board of Education unanimously appointed longtime educator and proven leader Matthew Wien to serve as the District’s interim superintendent during a Board meeting on Sept. 7. Wien, who brings more than 20 years of education experience to his new role, will also continue to serve in his current position as assistant superintendent of educational services. During his tenure as assistant superintendent, Wien has overseen the development of a comprehensive academic program that has resulted in high levels of achievement on state assessments and placed Bonita Unified in the top 10 percent of unified districts in California.

Bonita Unified Football Teams to Face Off in 50th Smudge Pot Rivalry

San Dimas and Bonita high schools are warming up for the 50th annual Smudge Pot football game, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at Citrus College Stadium, 1000 W. Foothill Blvd., Glendora. The friendly rivalry – a beloved District tradition that aims to foster school spirit and unite the community – started in 1972, with both high schools competing for an iconic silver Smudge Pot, an oil-burning tool used to shield fruit trees from frost and a symbol of the two cities’ roots in the region’s citrus industry.

History of Bonita Unified’s Smudge Pot Football Rivalry Comes Alive in Student-Created Website

For generations of Bonita Unified students, staff and alumni, the annual Smudge Pot football game is the most anticipated athletic event of the school year. The cherished football rivalry that pits the Bonita High School Bearcats against the San Dimas High School Saints will celebrate its golden anniversary this year, as the schools prepare to play their 50th game in the series. To honor the memories, sportsmanship and heroics of the game, which is one of the oldest continuous rivalries in southern California, the Smudge Pot’s rich and colorful history has now come alive in a new website, smudgepotgame.com. Created by Bonita High students, the website features photos, news clippings and decade-by-decade accounts of the competition.

Bonita Unified Begins 2022-23 School Year, Sets Sights on New Levels of Achievement

Bonita Unified School District students descended upon cheerfully decorated campuses – bedecked with vibrant welcome signs and filled with cheers of encouragement – on Aug. 22, marking the start of a new school year that is focused on empowering students to live their purpose and ensuring new levels of achievement. Roynon Elementary School welcomed new and returning students with cardboard cutouts of superheroes representing every grade level, including transitional kindergarten (TK), which is being offered to more students than ever, thanks to the rollout of a universal TK program that has welcomed nearly 430 young learners to classrooms this year.

San Dimas High School Achieves Highest AP Test Pass Rate in School History

San Dimas High School achieved its highest Advanced Placement (AP) test pass rate in school history during the 2021-22 school year, reflecting the school’s commitment to fostering academic achievement and preparing students for the rigor of higher education. San Dimas High School students collectively earned a pass rate of 68.2% during the first full year of in-person instruction following the COVID-19 pandemic. The average national pass rate is 60.5%. San Dimas High offers AP courses in 20 subjects.

Bonita Unified Named Best School District in San Gabriel Valley Readers Choice Awards

Bonita Unified School District has been recognized as the Best School District in the San Gabriel Valley, receiving a 2022 Readers Choice Award that reflects the District’s commitment to fostering a nurturing environment full of learning opportunities that empower students to achieve their full potential. The Readers Choice Awards is an annual readers poll conducted by the Southern California News Group, which publishes the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star News and the Whittier Daily News. Votes were tallied from ballots that ran in the group’s newspapers and corresponding websites during March and April.

Bonita Unified Named Best School District in San Gabriel Valley Readers Choice Awards

Bonita Unified School District has been recognized as the Best School District in the San Gabriel Valley, receiving a 2022 Readers Choice Award, which reflects the District’s commitment to fostering a nurturing environment full of learning opportunities that empower students to achieve their full potential. Such opportunities include an array of Advanced Placement courses, 21 career technical education pathways, and award-winning athletic and arts programs. The Readers Choice Awards – released on June 26 – is an annual readers poll conducted by the Southern California News Group.

Bonita Unified Honors Accomplished Class of 2022 with Dynamic Commencement Ceremonies

With the majestic presence of the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop, Bonita Unified School District celebrated its Class of 2022 graduates with commencement ceremonies that honored the academic achievements, camaraderie and resilience of more than 800 students from Chaparral, San Dimas and Bonita high schools. The ceremonies, held June 7 and 9, highlighted the myriad accomplishments of the Class of 2022 and put the spotlight on the graduates who will continue their education at institutions such as UCLA, USC, Duke University, Purdue University and Otis College of Art and Design, as well as those who have enlisted in U.S. Armed Forces or will enter the professional world.