OCDE Newsroom

Students from Dr. Jonas E. Salk School in the Centralia School District perform during last year’s Orange County Arts and Disability Festival, raising their arms to form heart shapes with their hands.

OC Arts and Disability Festival marks 50 years, calls for entries

Vicky Nguyen January 20, 2026

Lincoln Elementary School students explore new robotics challenges in the campus' Innovation Lab. (Courtesy of Newport-Mesa Unified School District)

Weekly roundup: Newport-Mesa students discover tech skills via Innovation Lab, Valley High to host career education film screening, and more

Madeline Gray January 16, 2026

Sue Parks stands at a podium addressing an audience during the Be Prepared OC Summit at the UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation Center.

OCDE joins countywide leaders to strengthen local disaster preparedness efforts

Ian Hanigan January 14, 2026

Garden Grove Unified students in the child development pathway show what they have learned in their career courses at the 11th annual OC Pathways Showcase last year.

REGISTER NOW: OC Pathways Showcase returns to unite industry leaders with future workforce

Madeline Gray January 14, 2026

Governor’s budget proposal increases education funding while warning of long-term fiscal pressures

Ian Hanigan January 12, 2026

Weekly roundup: Anaheim high schoolers offer ‘Teenage Therapy,’ Newport repeals block-learning, and more

Nichole Pichardo July 31, 2020

Five high school students from Loara High School in Anaheim have virtually teamed up to host a podcast that has...

An image of Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares

County superintendent issues statement on OC Board of Ed’s decision to sue governor

Ian Hanigan July 29, 2020

Orange County Superintendent Dr. Al Mijares issued the following statement Wednesday in response to the OC Board of Education’s July...

OC students to virtually participate in Bank of America leadership training and service program

Ian Hanigan July 28, 2020

Bank of America has tapped four local high schoolers to participate in a selective summer internship program that offers leadership training and promotes civic engagement. Gabrielle Latimore of Northwood High School, Alexander Rojas of Segerstrom High School, Rushil Shah of...

OCDE’s Inside the Outdoors offers virtual summer camp

Nichole Pichardo July 27, 2020

While many summer camps have been canceled, Inside the Outdoors — OCDE’s unique, hands-on environmental education program — is offering...

Weekly roundup: Volunteer tutors in OC go virtual, closing the digital divide, and more

Ian Hanigan July 24, 2020

Young Leaders of Orange County (YLOC) is a group that was established in 2011, comprising mostly high school volunteers who...

Local districts that had tentative plans for summer graduation ceremonies announce cancellations

Ian Hanigan July 23, 2020

As graduation plans were being modified in the spring amid COVID-19 concerns, a handful of Orange County school districts were holding out hope that they’d be able to stage traditional, in-person celebrations for the class of 2020 sometime this summer....

Weekly roundup: Irvine teacher makes distance learning fun; CA schools will start school year with distance learning, and more

Nichole Pichardo July 17, 2020

An Irvine teacher proves that while distance learning isn’t a replacement for in-person learning, that doesn’t mean it can’t be...

Governor’s new mandate means OC schools will likely start 2020-21 with distance learning

Staff reports July 17, 2020

Orange County schools, along with campuses in 32 other counties on California’s COVID-19 watch list, can expect to start the...

Dr. Mijares speaks with NBC News; discusses recommendations for restarting school

Nichole Pichardo July 16, 2020

Orange County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Al Mijares joined MSNBC on Thursday morning to discuss OCDE’s recommendations for safely restarting school this fall. During his interview with NBC News’ Erin McLaughlin, Dr. Mijares said the Orange County Department of Education...