OCDE Newsroom

Twelve Orange County students take a private tour of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory last month as part of their raffle reward for participating in the STEAM Race to Space Reading Challenge.

Orange County students launch into learning with NASA JPL tour

Madeline Gray July 14, 2025

Twelve Orange County students got to visit NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab after crushing their reading goals in the STEAM Race to Space Reading Challenge, a countywide literacy initiative designed to spark interest in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.

Weekly roundup: Free summer meals offered to OC youth, student artists curate museum exhibit, and more

Madeline Gray June 27, 2025

This summer, families across Orange County can access free meals for children and teens — thanks to local school districts...

“Strings of Identity” by Jennie Rah, a ninth-grade student at Portola High School, will be featured in the 2025 Festival of Arts Junior Art Exhibit in Laguna Beach.

92nd Festival of Arts to showcase more than 350 pieces by Orange County students

Vicky Nguyen June 18, 2025

Featuring more than 350 pieces by transitional kindergarten through 12th-grade students, the 2025 Junior Art Exhibit at the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach opens July 2 in Partnership with OCDE and Arts Orange County. Selected from nearly 1,800 submissions, the display includes works by students with disabilities and 13 student-created films, showcasing creativity, inclusion and the importance of arts education.

Weekly roundup: Two OC students head to Broadway for national theater awards, 14-year-old graduates with UCI’s Class of 2025, and more

Madeline Gray June 13, 2025

Tesoro High School student Isaiah Medina and Laguna Beach High School student Lauren Norrix will represent Orange County at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, the nation's top celebration of student talent in musical theater.