News

GGUSD Teachers Recognized as Top Educators in Orange County

Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) teachers, including Jordanna Jahn at Irvine Intermediate School and Ji Sun Kim at Faylane Elementary School, were selected as semifinalists in the 2025 Orange County Department of Education Teacher of the Year recognition program.

GGUSD’s Visual and Performing Arts Program Receives Top Honor for Sixth Year in a Row

Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) has received the 2024 Best Communities for Music Education Award.

Philharmonic Provides Grant to Fund New Instruments for Students with Special Needs

Representatives from The Philharmonic Society of Orange County orchestrated a momentous occasion at the Special Education Center at Mark Twain this week, delivering a large donation of adaptable musical instruments.

GGUSD Superintendent Recognized with Top Award for Valuing Diversity

Garden Grove Unified School District Superintendent Gabriela Mafi was selected by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 17 for its 2024 Valuing Diversity Award for her exemplary leadership fostering a districtwide culture and climate that celebrates diversity and implementing systems that ensure success for all students.

GGUSD Cook Selected as Orange County Classified Employee of the Year

Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) employee Connie Flores, who has served as a cook/baker for the Food Services Department for 23 years, was named an Orange County Finalist for the Orange County Department of Education’s 2024 Classified Employee of the Year program.

Bell Intermediate School Earns Prestigious California Schools to Watch Designation

This week, Bell Intermediate School was recognized among “California Schools to Watch” for 2024, the California Department of Education’s (CDE) top honor for high-performing middle schools.

GGUSD Showcases Student Talent at 46th Annual First Impressions Art Show

GGUSD hosted its 46th annual First Impressions Art Show to celebrate the artistic talent of hundreds of students from all grade levels from preschool to high school.

Two GGUSD Intermediate Schools Earn Prestigious Recognition as CA Distinguished Schools

Two Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) schools were recognized as 2024 California Distinguished Schools in an announcement by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on February 29.

Northcutt Student Named Spelling Bee Champion for 2nd Year

Northcutt Elementary sixth-grader Joaquin Ablis earned the title of Spelling Bee Champion in the district’s 36th annual GGUSD Spelling Bee for elementary students held on February 22 at Edgar District Meeting Center.

GGUSD Opens Enrollment for Expanded Transitional Kindergarten and Preschool

Beginning February 7, Garden Grove Unified School District has opened registration for the 2024-2025 school year for families enrolling children in Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and Kindergarten.

Two Students Share First Place Win in Intermediate School Spelling Bee

Abdullah Adil, an eighth grader from Jordan Intermediate School and Henry Nguyen, an eighth grader from Irvine Intermediate School, tied for first place to share the title of champion of the district’s 36th Annual Spelling Bee for seventh and eighth grade students.  The highly-competitive event among the district’s top 40 seventh and eighth grade spellers was held January 31 at the Edgar District Meeting Center.

GGUSD Adds School Resource Officer for Santa Ana Schools

This week, Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) welcomed Santa Ana Police Officer Corporal Anthony Pacheco as the newest member of the district’s School Resource Officer (SRO) team.

Two GGUSD Teachers Honored for Contributions to Music and Arts Education

David Joseph, Choral Director at Pacifica High School and 5th grade teacher Suzanne Fauria of Mitchell Elementary School have been recognized by the Orange County Music and Arts Administrators (OCMAA) while three additional GGUSD teachers were nominated for awards.

GGUSD Earns High Rankings on CA School Dashboard

Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) earned high-rankings on the 2023 California School Dashboard, the state’s school performance and accountability system.

GGUSD Honors United Way as Community Hero

At its meeting on December 12, GGUSD's Board of Education recognized the Orange County United Way as its 2023 Community Hero.

GGUSD Recognized with Distinguished California Education Accolade

Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) was selected as one of 60 recipients of California’s leading educational honor, the Golden Bell Award, for the district’s ASPIRE system of care which supports student mental health and well-being.

GGUSD Honors Dedicated Employees for Years of Service

Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) honored nearly 550 employees for their years of service at the Annual Employee Recognition Program on December 5 at the district’s Don Wash Auditorium.

La Quinta High School to Receive National Recognition from Special Olympics for Achievements with Inclusion

During a special ceremony on Friday, December 1, La Quinta High School was presented with a national banner as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School® and named an ESPN Honor School for its successful initiatives to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.

GGUSD Vietnamese Immersion Program Honored with Seal of Excellence Award

Last week, the California Association for Bilingual Education announced that Murdy Elementary School was awarded with the prestigious 2024 Seal of Excellence Award for its Vietnamese Dual Immersion program.

GGUSD to Host Job Fair on October 26

Garden Grove Unified School District is hosting a Job Fair on Thursday, October 26th from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. to promote in-demand job opportunities at our award-winning school district.

Five GGUSD High Schools Named 2023 AP School Honor Roll Schools

Bolsa Grande, Garden Grove, La Quinta, Los Amigos, and Santiago high schools have been named to the 2023 AP (Advanced Placement) School Honor Roll for the 2022-23 school year for excellence in equipping students with college readiness skills.

GGUSD Students Outperform County and State on CA State Assessments

This week, the California Department of Education released statewide results of the 2022-2023 California Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) assessments, which show that Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) students continue to outperform the county and state in both English Language Arts and mathematics for the fourth consecutive year.

GGUSD’s ASPIRE Social Work Program Earns Golden Bell Award

Garden Grove Unified School District’s ASPIRE system of care earned a prestigious 2023 Golden Bell Award from the California School Board Association as a model of excellence in supporting student mental health and well-being.

GGUSD Presents Simon Family Foundation with Community Hero Award

At its September 19 meeting, the Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) Board of Education recognized 46 students from Bolsa Grande, Garden Grove, La Quinta, Los Amigos, Rancho Alamitos, and Santiago high schools who were named Class of 2025 Simon Scholars for their commitment to academic success and community service.

Three GGUSD Elementary Schools Receive National Blue Ribbon Award

Today, the U.S. Department of Education recognized Anthony Elementary School, Cook Elementary School and Paine Elementary School as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023 in the category of Exemplary High Performing Schools.