Turn back the clock to a half-century ago. A new Pontiac GTO was selling for $2,699 and a four bedroom
home in Garden Grove, described as a “King’s Mansion,” was priced at $22,950.
It was 1965, also an important time for education in Orange County. On July 1 of that year, the Garden Grove Unified School District became officially operational after local voters overwhelmingly supported the merger of three smaller school districts and chose a new Board of Education.
Turn back the clock to a half-century ago. A new Pontiac GTO was selling for $2,699 and a four bedroom
home in Garden Grove, described as a “King’s Mansion,” was priced at $22,950.
It was 1965, also an important time for education in Orange County. On July 1 of that year, the Garden Grove Unified School District became officially operational after local voters overwhelmingly supported the merger of three smaller school districts and chose a new Board of Education.
Much of the current school year is devoted to celebrating the district’s 50-year milestone.
To promote this significant occasion, a new 50th anniversary logo was unveiled for the current school year, special colorful banners will decorate all district sites, and employees are wearing new lapel pins featuring the 50th-anniverary logo.
In the past half-century, many district students, the district and its schools have earned recognition.
Included among more than 170,000 alumni are Olympic medalists; a Medal of Honor recipient; leading scientists; business CEOs; outstanding educators; and pro athletes.
In 2004, the district earned the Broad Prize as the top urban school district in the U.S., and was a finalist
for the award the prior two years.
More recently, 26 schools were recognized by the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence, and five schools were named California Gold Ribbon Schools for gains in putting in place academic standards. The district's seven high schools are consistently listed among the nation’s elite in annual rankings by
U.S. News & World Report magazine.
As proud as the district is of the accomplishments of the past 50 years, the district looks forward with
great anticipation to an even more exciting future in the next half-century.
