FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: James Canning
313-580-2845, jcanning@sandi.net
San Diego Unified Launches 2026–27 School Year Focused on Student Wellness, Literacy, Math, and College & Career Readiness
SAN DIEGO (AUGUST 06, 2026) – As students return to classrooms for the 2026–27 school year on Monday, August 10, San Diego Unified School District is building on its commitment to ensuring every student graduates prepared for the future by investing time and energy in four key priorities: Student Wellness, Literacy, Mathematics, and College & Career Readiness.
Throughout the coming school year, the district will introduce new programs, expand opportunities for students, and strengthen supports designed to help educators and every learner succeed academically, socially, emotionally, and beyond graduation.
They include:
- New information campaigns to focus on the importance of sleep, hydration and physical activity to student wellness and learning.
- New preschool curriculum designed to nurture early language and literacy development through play, exploration, and meaningful interactions that prepare children for future reading success.
- Relaunching the 6th grade middle school math curriculum with a focused approach on integrating online, paper, and hands-on experiences.
- Strengthening awareness and alignment of College & Career Readiness curriculum for students grades 6 - 12.
A more comprehensive listing of new actions that will be taken is listed in each section Student Wellness, Literacy, Mathematics, and College & Career Readiness are listed below.
"Every new school year is an opportunity to reimagine what is possible for our students," said Superintendent Fabi Bagula, Ph.D. "This year, we are making meaningful investments in the whole child—strengthening student wellness, expanding literacy and mathematics achievement, and creating even more opportunities for students to discover their passions and prepare for college, careers, and life. When students feel healthy, supported, challenged, and connected, there is no limit to what they can accomplish."
Student Wellness
Student wellness is the central to learning and student success. At San Diego Unified, wellness means caring for the whole child—body, mind, relationships, and community. Whether a student receives care from a school nurse, enjoys a nutritious meal, participates in athletics, visits a Wellness Center, works with a behavior specialist, or connects with a counselor or trusted adult, each service is part of one coordinated system designed to ensure every student is healthy, connected, engaged, and ready to learn.
New in Student Wellness for the 2026–27 School Year
During the coming school year, San Diego Unified will strengthen student wellness through:
- Information campaigns to focus on the importance of sleep, hydration, and physical activity.
- Enhance operational processes to improve meal access and reduce wait times to ensure students can receive breakfast and lunch efficiently during the school day.
- Increase access to community-based resources that will support student well-being outside of the classroom.
The new efforts for this school year builds on work from last year, which included:
- 19,344 students supported the school district’s 12 Wellness Centers, which happened through drop-in visits for coping and self-regulation, connections to resources, one-on-one support, and health education presentations.
- 36 schools earned the 2025 America’s Healthiest Schools Award, which recognizes their commitment to creating healthier, more supportive learning environments for students. This national recognition reflects the dedication of our school communities to advancing student health, well-being, and academic success through sustainable, whole-child practices.
- 315,000 health office visits resulted in 84% of the students returning to class without the need for further medical attention.
- 45,000 vision screenings and 45,000 hearing screenings were performed by dedicated school nurses and a team of audiometrists (non-nurses).
- Student surveys showed students who visited wellness centers had stronger improvements or consistently higher outcomes in student belonging, trusted adult relationships, and connections with school staff.
"Student wellness is not separate from academic achievement, it makes academic achievement possible," said Susan Barndollar, Executive Director of Nursing and Wellness. "Every investment we make in supporting students' physical health, mental health, nutrition, relationships, and sense of belonging helps create classrooms where students are ready to learn and able to reach their full potential. This year, we are excited to continue expanding opportunities that support the whole child and also support our educators and staff."
Literacy
Literacy is the foundation for learning across every subject and opens doors to future opportunities. San Diego Unified educators work hard to build confident readers, writers, thinkers, and communicators through evidence-based instruction, ongoing assessment, and targeted support that ensures every student continues to grow.
New in Literacy for the 2026–27 School Year
In preschool classrooms, educators are using Creative Curriculum designed to nurture early language and literacy development through play, exploration, and meaningful interactions that prepare children for future reading success.
Every day, teachers will intentionally create opportunities for children to develop language, vocabulary, comprehension, and a love of reading through engaging experiences such as:
- Interactive read-alouds that build listening comprehension, introduce rich vocabulary, and encourage children to predict, retell, and discuss stories.
- Print-rich classrooms where books, labels, names, signs, and writing materials help children understand that print has meaning and is part of everyday life.
- Storytelling and dramatic play that encourage children to create narratives, practice sequencing, and use new vocabulary in authentic ways.
- Phonological awareness activities, including songs, rhymes, fingerplays, and word games, that help children recognize sounds in spoken language—an essential building block for reading.
- Emergent writing experiences that allow children to experiment with drawing, scribbling, and early letter formation as they begin expressing their ideas through print.
Also, the school district is:
- Strengthening educator knowledge with new professional development that brings everyone in alignment with the science of reading – which centers professional learning on structured literacy, word recognition, and reading comprehension.
- Preparing literacy educators for the implementation of a new reading curriculum in the 2027–28 school year.
"Literacy gives students the ability to understand the world, express their ideas, and unlock opportunities throughout their lives," said Shawna Codrington, Ed.D., Director of Literacy. "This year, we are continuing to strengthen literacy instruction so every student develops the confidence and skills to read deeply, think critically, communicate effectively, and succeed in every subject."
The new efforts for this school year builds on strong results from last year. San Diego Unified students outperformed state standards in English Language Arts while achievement gaps continue to close for many student groups.
According to the 2025 California School Dashboard, districtwide English Language Arts performance increased by 5.2 points in one year, with students performing 12.4 points above the state standard—surpassing the district’s annual growth target and moving closer to its 2030 goal. Some of the strongest gains are among Latino students, English Learners, and Students with Disabilities, helping to narrow long-standing achievement gaps in literacy.
Mathematics
San Diego Unified educators believe math happens everywhere and every student is a math person.
The district is strengthening mathematics instruction through aligned-standards, problem-based learning that emphasizes conceptual understanding, critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world application.
In classrooms, students grapple with meaningful problems, explain their thinking, collaborate with peers, and persevere through challenges while developing the confidence to see themselves as capable mathematicians.
New in Math for the 2026-27 School Year
During the coming school year, after a successful adoption of the new Eureka Math curriculum for students grades Transition Kindergarten through grade 5, San Diego Unified will expand mathematics opportunities by:
- Strengthening students’ fluency and creating more intentional opportunities for mathematical discourse to improve problem solving. When students explain their reasoning, listen to others, and make sense of different approaches, they deepen their understanding of mathematics.
- Relaunching the 6th grade middle school math curriculum with a focused approach on integrating online, paper and hands-on experiences. All 6th grade teachers will be provided dedicated time to collaborate and understand how high quality, blended mathematics instruction improves engagement and learning.
- Launch a High School Math Lead program to deepen educators’ understanding of effective mathematics practices and create a common scope of work centered on project-based and real world applications.
"We believe that every student is a mathematician, and deserves learning experiences that build both confidence and deepen understanding of mathematics," said Julie Garcia, Senior Director of Future Ready Learning. "This year, we are continuing to strengthen classrooms where students collaborate, reason, explain their thinking, and persevere through meaningful problems that prepare them for college, careers, and everyday life."
The new efforts for this school year builds on strong results from last year. According to the 2025 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress showed 45.3% of students met or exceeded standards in Mathematics, up 1.4 percentage points from 2024. In addition, the district saw significant gains in Distance From Standard (DFS), an indicator of how far students are progressing toward grade-level benchmarks, with Mathematics DFS advancing by 4.6 points.
College and Career Readiness
Preparing students for life after graduation begins long before senior year at San Diego Unified schools. Beginning in elementary school and continuing through high school, students are challenged to think critically, solve problems, develop leadership skills, and connect classroom learning to real-world experiences.
The district's goal is simple: every student graduates with a plan, a purpose, and the confidence to build a future without limits.
New in College & Career Readiness for the 2026-27 School Year
During the new school year, the team of educators focused on students being prepared for life after high school, will:
- Strengthen awareness and alignment of College & Career Readiness curriculum for students grades 6 - 12
- Expand work-based learning for students with more internships, apprenticeships, and Job Shadows.
"College and career readiness is about helping every student discover what is possible and giving them the experiences to pursue those dreams," said Jen Roberson, Executive Director of the Office of Graduation. "Whether students choose college, career training, military service, or another pathway, we want every graduate to leave our schools with the skills, confidence, and experiences needed to thrive.
These new efforts will build on the strong results from last school year, which saw its highest graduation rate ever, a projected 91% with approximately 71.4% of graduates being college and career prepared as measured by the California College and Career Indicators Additionally, San Diego Unified ranked #2 in the state with a 78.4% completion rate for the FAFSA/CADAA.
About San Diego Unified School District
San Diego Unified School District serves approximately 95,000 students in preschool through grade 12 and is committed to ensuring every student graduates with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed in college, career, and life. Visit SanDiegoUnified.org to learn more.
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James Canning (He/Him)
Executive Director
Strategic Communications & Information
San Diego Unified School District
Mobile: 313-580-2845
Office: 619-725-5578
Email: Jcanning@sandi.net
4100 Normal Street
San Diego, CA 92103
www.sandiegounified.org
     
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