The district is the third largest among 28 public school districts in Orange County with 47,855 students (2009-10 projected), ranks 11th in size of more than 1,000 school districts in California, and is the 89th largest school district of 17,700 in the U.S. The district employs more than 5,000 staff members and operates 70 schools: 47 elementary, 10 intermediate, 7 high schools, 2 continuation schools, 2 adult education centers, and 2 special education schools.

The GGUSD provides comprehensive educational services for K-12 students and adults in safe and well-maintained schools staffed by quality teachers and support staff meeting the highest professional standards. Adult education, preschool, English language development programs, ROP, fine arts education, Gifted and Talented Education, and special education are among the many support programs provided by the district. The district maintains the Class Size Reduction Program — trimming class size to a maximum of 20 students for all classes in grades 1-3 and grades K-1 and 3-4 combination classes.

All schools in the district focus on a core curriculum of basic skills development in reading, writing, science, history-social science, and mathematics, while recognizing the importance of offering varied educational experiences through comprehensive music and visual arts instruction, electives, athletics, and leadership development. Computers and other technologies in classrooms, school libraries, and dedicated laboratories complement the delivery of the basic curriculum and provide the foundation for courses in computer applications and programming languages. All sites connect to the Wide Area Network, enabling classrooms, schools, and offices to exchange information electronically and have access to the Internet. The system is the largest of its type among Orange County school districts.

Additional Information About the GGUSD

• Murdy Elementary School was selected as 2009 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School. The Blue Ribbon program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, recognizes schools that are either academically superior or demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. Marshall Elementary School was nominated for the prestigious award in 2007.

• McGarvin Intermediate was named a 2009 recipient of the California Distinguished School award. McGarvin was among 20 secondary schools in Orange County and 171 statewide chosen due to overall quality, test scores, and growth on state and federal performance measures. Barker and Peters elementary schools were Distinguished School honorees for the district in 2008, and Allen Elementary School was selected for ‘honorable mention’ recognition.

• Five Garden Grove Unified School District schools, the largest number again in Orange County, were designated ‘Title I Academic Achievement Schools’ for 2008-09. The GGUSD honorees were Murdy, Peters (K-3 and 4-6 sites), Hazard, and Sunnyside elementary schools, and McGarvin Intermediate School. They were among the 24 Orange County schools selected for the prestigious honor.

• Five Garden Grove Unified School District high schools are listed among the nation’s best in the rankings released by U.S. News & World Report magazine. Four GGUSD high schools – Bolsa Grande, Garden Grove, La Quinta, and Los Amigos – ranked as silver medalists, while Santiago High School was listed in the bronze medal category. The magazine analyzed 18,790 high schools in 40 states.

• The district was the recipient of the 2004 Broad Prize for Urban Education, the annual award honoring the nation’s finest urban school system. As the winner, the district earned $500,000 in college scholarships for 74 graduating seniors. The Broad Prize, the richest award in public education, showcases urban school districts across the U.S. with the greatest success in raising overall test scores while at the same time reducing achievement gaps across ethnic lines and between high and low income students. The GGUSD was a finalist for the Broad prize in 2003 and 2002, earning the district $125,000 in scholarship money both years

• All GGUSD high schools have earned full, six-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

• The district has made major investments in technology including the continued expansion of a Wide Area Network – enabling all schools and offices to exchange information via e-mail and have access to the Internet.
  
  
• Reflecting the district’s fiscal responsibility and conservative budget practices, the GGUSD has no bonded indebtedness. District facilities are refurbished and maintained on established cycles, and funded on a pay-as-you-go basis without resorting to long-term borrowing with interest from taxpayers.

• The district operates on a very lean management structure in which only a small percentage of the budget is directed to overhead and administration. The GGUSD, in fact, devotes a greater share of its budget to direct classroom services than any district in the state, with only 4 percent of the budget devoted to administrative salaries, which is less than the state average for all school districts.

Rev. 9-16-09