Thirty-seven Orange County high schools landed among the top 300 in California and top 1,700 nationally in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings, led by Oxford Academy, which ranked No. 3 in California and No. 17 nationally.
Back-to-school excitement is on full display across Orange County, as schools share spirited first-day celebrations and campus traditions through social media posts.
OCDE will launch the 2026-27 National History Day-Orange County season with a free virtual kickoff Sept. 10, giving new and returning coaches an introduction to the competition, this year's "Innovation in History" theme and resources to guide students through the months ahead.
Brea Junior High School seventh-grader Logan Thielen will represent California at the National Civics Bee Championship in Washington, D.C., after taking first place at the state competition with a proposal focused on bringing creative learning approaches into classrooms.
In an Aug. 13 Orange County Register feature, reporting intern Lillian Ashworth profiled Charlu's efforts to advance bilingual education in California, including her work on proposed legislation that would formally recognize translanguaging as an instructional approach.
Laughter, applause and plenty of proud supporters filled the Orange County Department of Education Conference Center on Aug. 4 as some of the county's leading STEM educators and advocates stepped forward to receive recognition for their work.
