IUSD is excited to announce the District’s 2025-26 Senior Athlete Awardees in the Categories of Athlete of the Year, Scholar Athlete, Multiple Sport Athlete and Sportsmanship.
Taeho Kim from Irvine High School and Meital Kochinski from Northwood High School were chosen to be a part of the National Hope Squad Council, a leadership opportunity that empowers students to advocate for mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and peer connection on a national level.
University High also earned Rookie of the Year honors in Division I, awarded to the highest-scoring team competing at nationals for the first time.
Dr. Baptiste was selected unanimously for the 2026 honor in recognition of her leadership and commitment to advancing literacy for multilingual learners.
IUSD is proud to announce the next round of National Merit Scholars. Eight students were named recipients of the prestigious $2,500 National Merit Scholarships, the highest number awarded to any school district in Orange County. This is the second of three rounds in the National Merit Scholarship Program to be awarded.
Naomi Gesk, a senior at University High, has been named the prestigious title of Orange County Register’s 2026 Artist of the Year for Instrumental Music. She is one of seven artists to win this award for their respective art disciplines.
Seven IUSD 8th graders were celebrated and recognized for academic excellence during the 2026 Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) 8th Grade Standout Award Ceremony at Angel Stadium.
Krista Elliott, school nurse at Oak Creek and Springbrook Elementary Schools, has been named the recipient of the Excellence in School Nursing Award for the Southern Section by the California School Nurse Organization (CSNO).
IUSD announced its five 2026 Classified Employees of the Year: Diana Dru, Katherine Lee, Regina Lee, Katrina Longpre and Albert Madrid. This year’s five employees were selected from more than 2,000 classified employees Districtwide.
IUSD students made a strong showing at this year’s National History Day-California, with 11 student projects emerging as junior and senior division champions.