Terry Walker, who has helmed the Irvine Unified School District as its superintendent since 2011, has announced plans to retire at the end of January.
Walker served as a teacher, director and assistant superintendent of human resources in Irvine before being appointed by the Board of Education to succeed Dr. Gwen Gross as the district’s top administrator. In a message sent on Wednesday, he informed the IUSD community of his decision to step down.
“Today, I am writing to share my decision to retire as the Superintendent of Schools for the Irvine Unified School District on January 31, 2025,” Walker wrote. “I cannot begin to express my gratitude to all of you for entrusting me to lead this world-class educational community. Being a member of the IUSD family and working alongside singularly dedicated board members, teachers and staff for nearly 30 years remains the honor of my lifetime.”
Walker explained that his decision was influenced by advice from his family and physicians. While he had hoped to continue in the role for several more years, he said, “I now know that it’s time to prioritize my health and the well-being of my family.”
Reflecting on his tenure, Walker expressed pride in the district’s collective accomplishments. Under his leadership, IUSD built on its reputation as one of California’s highest-performing school districts, serving more than 38,000 students with the support of 4,000 staff members.
In addition to surpassing state and county averages in 2024, IUSD ranked No. 1 in California on science, math and English language arts assessments among public school districts with 35,000 or more students. In fact, the district says this marks the eighth year of topping that list since 2015, excluding a two-year testing hiatus during the pandemic.
“My fourteen years as Superintendent reinforced my belief in the ‘US’ at the center of IUSD,” Walker wrote. “The strength of the relationships that exist between all stakeholders and our shared sense of purpose speaks to a culture deeply rooted in our core values of integrity, empowerment, collaboration, trustworthiness and learning.”
Irvine’s five-member Board of Education will conduct the search for Walker’s successor, working with an educational leadership firm to identify an interim superintendent and a permanent executive. The search process and updates on the transition are expected to be communicated to the IUSD community in the weeks and months ahead.