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Fontana Unified School District

  • Fontana Unified Educator Selected as Finalist for California State Teacher of the Year Award

    Live Oak Elementary School teacher Michelle Vazquez discovered her calling for teaching and advocacy at a young age, growing up in a family that ran a foster home for adults with special needs. Vazquez credits her childhood for teaching her the importance of dignity, patience, and creating spaces where everyone feels valued. It’s a lesson the Resource Specialist Program (RSP) teacher has carried with her throughout her 16-plus years in education. That dedication helped lead to her recognition as Live Oak Elementary and Fontana Unified School District’s (FUSD) 2024-25 Teacher of the Year, as well as one of the 2026 San Bernardino Countywide Teachers of the Year. With the county recognition, Vazquez is now a finalist for the 2026 California Department of Education Teacher of the Year award.

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  • Fontana Unified to Expand Student Services by Uniting Award-Winning Continuation Schools

    Fontana Unified School District (FUSD) will strengthen and broaden academic and support services for its continuation high school students as it merges its two Model Continuation High Schools, Citrus and Eric Birch, beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Both continuation schools will consolidate under the name Eric Birch High School, relocating to the former Citrus High site at 10760 Cypress Ave., and adopting the Citrus Jaguars mascot. The FUSD Board of Education approved the merger and an estimated $150,000 cost associated with renaming the Citrus campus to Eric Birch High School during its June 18 meeting. Fontana Unified’s continuation school instruction has been recognized by the California Department of Education (CDE) for its comprehensive excellence. Both Citrus and Eric Birch earned Model Continuation School designations from the CDE for their innovative approach to alternative education, with Citrus earning the three-year status in 2023 and Eric Birch securing recognition in 2024, which extends into the 2025-26 school year.

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  • Fontana Unified to Celebrate Renaming of O’Day Short Elementary School, Honor Family’s Legacy

    Fontana Unified will host a renaming ceremony as Randall Pepper Elementary School officially transitions to O’Day Short Elementary in the 2025-26 school year, honoring the O’Day Short Family, which is remembered for breaking Fontana’s color barrier 80 years ago. District middle school student Cyrus Moss championed the renaming of O’Day Short Elementary. Moss submitted a petition with 132 signatures to rename Randall Pepper Elementary to the Fontana Unified Board of Education in March 2024. The Board unanimously voted to rename the school in September 2024 after all administrative regulations were met.

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Fontana Unified Middle School Named Microsoft Showcase School for Boosting Technology

Southridge Middle School has been selected as a 2018 Microsoft Showcase School for its commitment to providing student access to digital platforms and bridging the technology gap. Southridge will partner with Microsoft to introduce new education programs into the classroom, connect with Microsoft Innovation Educators to share best practices and become a destination campus for schools looking to elevate their digital capabilities.

Fontana Unified to Engage Families with Parent University Classes

Fontana Unified will continue its efforts to boost family engagement with its 2018-19 Parent University classes, which encourage parents and guardians to become academic coaches for their students. The first free session, “Get Active & Involved in FUSD,” will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Fontana Adult School, 10755 Oleander Ave.; and from 6 to 8 p.m. at the John D. Piazza Center, 9680 Citrus Ave. Translation services will be available.

Fontana Unified’s 2016-17 Graduation Rate Tops County, State Figures

Fontana Unified School District’s graduation rate reached 90.6 percent in 2016-17, thanks to strong student support and peer mentorship programs aimed at boosting academic achievement and promoting lifelong learning. This overall graduation rate encompasses alternative education, which is traditionally lower than rates at comprehensive high schools. District grad rates also topped the 2016-17 numbers for San Bernardino County and the state, according to data released by the state Department of Education.

Fontana Unified Elementary Schools Receive Backpack Donations

Fontana Unified kicked off the 2018-19 school year on Aug. 6 with new campus leaders, expanded early educational programs and instructional opportunities. At South Tamarind and Shadow Hills elementary schools, students received a surprise visit from Golden State Foods representatives, who donated backpacks full of school supplies. Photos are available.

Fontana Unified Welcomes Back Students for 2018-19 School Year

Fontana Unified students returned to school for the 2018-19 year on Aug. 6, greeted by new administrators, expanded early education programs and learning opportunities designed to strengthen instruction and inspire academic excellence. The District extended its full-day kindergarten to three additional schools this year, including Almond Elementary. There, parents were invited to escort their children into their new classrooms, meet their new teachers and help ease the transition into school life.

Fontana Unified Elementary to Provide New STEM Learning Opportunities

Canyon Crest Elementary School will provide new activities and resources to help students explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in 2018-19. The school, which offers a Maker Space dedicated to hand-on creativity and mobile computer and tablet labs for coding and computer programming, will add an “Innovation Space” that features Lego robotics and Merge augmented/virtual reality cubes.

Fontana Unified Welcomes 4 New Elementary School Principals

Fontana Unified School District has appointed four new elementary school principals, who will welcome students, faculty and staff for the 2018-19 year on Monday, Aug. 6. Sandra Loudermilk will lead Date Elementary, Amanda Colon will lead Locust Elementary, Lauri Martin will helm Palmetto Elementary and Dr. Amanda Beasley will oversee Randall Pepper Elementary.

Fontana Unified Administrators Envision the Future of Education during Leadership Institute

Nearly 200 Fontana Unified administrators brainstorm creative solutions to educational challenges, celebrated innovation among their peers and strengthened their management skills during the District’s inaugural Leadership Institute on July 16 and 17. The two-day, team-building seminar kicked off with a keynote address from Dr. Adam Steltzner, the chief engineer on NASA’s Mars 2020 project. Steltzner discussed his unconventional path to becoming a NASA engineer and discussed the importance of embracing curiosity-based decision making.

Fontana Unified to Brief Parents on Computer Science Immersion School

Chaparral Elementary will hold a parent information meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23 to highlight its Code to the Future computer science immersion curriculum. Parents will learn about the goals and benefits of the program and watch student-led coding demonstrations. Chaparral, one of the first Code to the Future schools in the Inland Empire, is at 14000 Shadow Drive, Fontana.