Cheer squads, marching bands, and colorful balloons welcomed more than 7,200 students back to El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) on Aug. 19, as campuses came alive with enthusiasm and pride for the 2025-26 school year. Associated Student Body (ASB) and Link Crew leaders across the District greeted students with music, cheers, hand-made posters, chalk art, and photo stations, while parents lined entrances to snap photos and celebrate the start of the school year. Districtwide, campuses also kicked off the year with spirited assemblies, pep rallies, and themed spirit weeks.
More than 7,200 students will return to El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) for the first day of the 2025-26 school year, which will include spirited campus celebrations, milestone events, and warm welcomes from Associated Student Body and Link Crew leaders, faculty, staff, and administrators. Celebrations will take place across the District, including El Monte High School’s debut of a new state-of-the-art athletic facility, South El Monte High will celebrate two students recently sworn-in as EMUHSD student board members, and Rosemead and Arroyo high schools will commemorate their 75th anniversaries of academic excellence.
The El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) Board of Trustees made history in the District by expanding student representation with the swearing-in of two Student Board Members, Ashley Yu and Tessa Ocegueda, for the 2025-26 school year at the District’s Aug. 6 Board meeting. Yu and Ocegueda, both South El Monte High School students, will represent the voice of nearly 7,200 EMUHSD students. They step into newly-created leadership roles, with Yu serving as Student Board Member President and Ocegueda as Vice President. Both will continue their service on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, where they served last school year.
El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) will host a dedication ceremony to celebrate the renaming of Fernando R. Ledesma High School’s newly renovated multi-purpose building and gymnasium. The facility will be renamed the Freddy and Bernie Arteaga and Frank Ogaz Center, honoring two longtime educators and a former Board of Trustees President whose decades of service have helped transform the lives of countless students across the District.
El Monte Union High School District’s (EMUHSD) ongoing partnership with Beat the Streets (BTS) Los Angeles continues to create opportunities for student-athletes to shine, with six students — including two recent graduates from the Class of 2025 — proudly representing their schools and community at the 2025 Beat the Streets National Camp and Duals, held June 24-26 at the University of Pennsylvania. BTS, a national mentor and sports-based youth development organization, aims to empower youth through wrestling. Its annual National Camp and Duals combines elite wrestling instruction with mentorship, leadership development, and team-building experiences.
Arroyo High School’s 2023-24 yearbook, "If You Know Us, You Know," has secured national recognition for outstanding quality and student-led creativity after earning a spot in Varsity Yearbook’s Portfolio, a prestigious showcase of the best yearbooks in the country. Selected from more than 2,100 submissions, Arroyo’s yearbook was one of 617 featured in the 30th edition of Varsity’s Portfolio. The publication highlights yearbooks that demonstrate exceptional design, photography, writing, and storytelling. The school’s 2023-24 yearbook focused on capturing the cornerstones of Arroyo culture, including school spirit and academic and athletic success.
More than 1,850 graduates took center stage in celebrations that featured vibrant tributes, powerful performances, stirring speeches, and fireworks as the El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) honored its Class of 2025 with a series of commencements on May 28 and June 5. Graduates from across the District are bound for leading universities, including Yale, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Stanford, USC, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UCLA. Others plan to attend community college, enroll in trade programs, join the armed forces, or begin their careers. The EMUHSD Class of 2025 also earned prestigious honors for their excellence in academics, athletics, arts, and leadership, including the State Seal of Biliteracy, California Scholarship Federation Gold Seal, QuestBridge National College Match, and Edison scholarships. El Monte Union also bid farewell to South El Monte High School’s Andrea Pablo as she concluded her term as Student Board Member, where she served as a strong representative and champion for her peers.
With the roar of student-athletes and the rhythm of the marching band, cheer, and color guard, El Monte High School (EMHS) marked the grand opening of its brand-new, state-of-the-art athletics facility with a spirited ribbon-cutting celebration on June 2. The long-awaited facility, now complete with a synthetic track and field, modern scoreboard, and upgraded amenities, stands as a symbol of El Monte Union High School District’s (EMUHSD) commitment to athletic excellence, student wellness, and community engagement. Funded by voter-approved Measure D and Measure HS bonds, the project is part of the District’s larger $190 million modernization initiative.
El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) will host commencement ceremonies to honor more than 1,850 graduating students from the District’s five comprehensive high schools, alternative high school, adult school, and transition center. EMUHSD’s Class of 2025 graduates have earned acceptance to top colleges, universities, and military programs, including Yale, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Stanford, UCLA, and the United States Navy. Students have also garnered a wide range of academic, athletic, and artistic honors, including prestigious scholarships such as QuestBridge and Edison, the California State Seal of Biliteracy, state recognitions, league championships, and historic achievements in the visual and performing arts. The District is also bidding farewell to its graduating Student Board Member, South El Monte High School senior Andrea Pablo.
El Monte Union High School District’s Class of 2025 features several distinguished seniors who have excelled in academics, leadership, and service, exemplifying the District’s mission to empower resilient learners prepared to thrive in college, careers, and beyond.
Through career technical education pathways and college readiness programs such as Advancement Via Individual Determination, Early College Academy, Advanced Placement courses and dual enrollment, El Monte Union students are introduced to fields in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), gaining access to industry-relevant training, hands-on learning, and the tools they need to succeed in post-secondary education and beyond.
