OCDE Newsroom

OCDE's Inside the Outdoors program and OC Waste & Recycling accept the Excellence in Recycling Public Education award at the National Waste & Recycling Industry Conference January 21. (Courtesy of OC Waste & Recycling)

Weekly roundup: Inside the Outdoors earns national recognition for recycling education curriculum, and more

Madeline Gray January 30, 2026

Troy High School Science Olympiad team takes first place at MIT Invitational

Ian Hanigan January 29, 2026

25th US Poet Laureate Arthur Sze will serve as keynote speaker at the 16th annual Creative Edge Lecture at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. (Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress)

US Poet Laureate Arthur Sze will take the stage at 16th Creative Edge Lecture

Madeline Gray January 29, 2026

A student-created display at McAuliffe Middle School shows handwritten reflections on paper stars and astronaut cutouts under the message, “The legacy I want to leave at McAuliffe is …”

Forty years after Challenger, McAuliffe Middle School reflects on a lasting legacy

Ian Hanigan January 28, 2026

Kay Nakauchi being recognized at December 2025 HBUHSD Board Meeting.

After 68 years of service, Kay Nakauchi retires from HBUHSD

Nathaniel Martinez January 28, 2026

California has extended its college financial aid deadline to April 2

Ian Hanigan March 12, 2025

College-bound students have an extra month to apply for state financial aid after the California Student Aid Commission extended the...

Los Alamitos High School students win first place in the "mental health" and "through the lens of culture" categories at the 2024 Directing Change Film Program and Contest awards on May 21. (Courtesy of Los Alamitos Unified School District)

OCDE’s student-led SAMH program transforms mental health awareness across OC

Nathaniel Martinez March 12, 2025

Five years ago, OCDE’s Youth Development program asked itself how it could create a mental health program for students that...

A photo from 1893 showing students at Garden Grove School

OCDE’s origin story dates back to this day in 1889

Ian Hanigan March 11, 2025

Today quietly marks an important anniversary for Orange County — and the Orange County Department of Education. On March 11, 1889, California Gov. Robert Waterman signed a bill that paved the way for Orange County to split from Los Angeles...

group photo of Outstanding STEM educators

OC STEM Initiative seeks nominations for 2025 Outstanding STEM Educators

Vicky Nguyen March 10, 2025

The OC STEM Initiative, in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education and Cox Communications, is inviting community members...

Weekly roundup: Educators gather in Merced to explore Hmong history, OC schools join nationwide Read Across America celebrations, and more

Vicky Nguyen March 7, 2025

More than 200 educators, scholars and community members from across California and beyond gathered at the University of California, Merced,...

Dr. Bean: Inside the Outdoors celebrates 50 years of learning, discovery and renewal

Stefan Bean March 6, 2025

For five decades, Inside the Outdoors has served as a gateway to discovery, inspiring generations of students to connect with the natural world in meaningful ways. Since its inception in 1974, this Orange County Department of Education program has provided...