San Diego Unified School District

San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) is a public school district based in San Diego, California. Founded in 1854, it is the second largest school district in California. The district includes 121 elementary schools, 24 middle schools, 21 high schools, and 2 atypical schools. District San Diego Unified School District is the second largest school district in California and the largest in San Diego County. The district covers most of San Diego with the exception of San Ysidro, which is served by San Ysidro Elementary School District and Sweetwater Union High School District. Schools High Schools Middle Schools K-8 Elementary Alternative Education School board The district is governed by a seven-member elected board of education; five adults and two preferential-voting Student Board Members. Adult board members are elected by district for four-year terms. Student Board Members are elected annually by high school students. The board meets at the Eugene Brucker Education Center located on the former site of the historic San Diego State Normal School. Superintendent The superintendent is appointed by the school board. In 1993, Bertha Pendleton was selected as the superintendent. She was the first woman and first African American in the position and she served to 1998. From 2010 through 2013 the superintendent was Bill Kowba, a retired Navy rear admiral. On February 26, 2013, Kowba announced his retirement, effective June 30. The next day, February 27, the school board unanimously appointed elementary school principal Cindy Marten as the new superintendent. The quick appointment, without a search process or community input, was described as "highly unusual - virtually unheard of" by The San Diego Union Tribune. On May 18, 2021, Marten left her job as superintendent to become the United States deputy secretary of education, with Lamont Jackson replacing her as the interim superintendent. Jackson was terminated in August 2024 after an internal investigation found that he had committed sexual misconduct and retaliation against two former district management employees. Deputy Superintendent Fabiola Bagula took over as acting superintendent. Partnership with Ocean Discovery Institute In 2017, the district partnered with the Ocean Discovery Institute, a nonprofit that works to teach kids about science and conservation, to bring a $15 million tuition-free learning and research center to the City Heights neighborhood. The building will be a permanent campus for the nonprofit and will include two laboratories, a garden, a community kitchen and a residence for a live-in staff member. The Living Lab allows the nonprofit to reach all 10,000 students that attend and feed into Hoover High School. Farm to School Program In 2010, the district launched a farm to school program in an effort to bring locally grown produce to schools. The program seeks to provide students access to as much local, regional, and California grown produce as possible. In addition to produce grown at farms, the district has a Garden to Café program which allows schools to be certified by the San Diego Department of Environmental Health allowing the school to grow and serve their own produce. Transportation See also List of primary and secondary schools in San Diego * organized by district References External links Official website San Diego County Office of Education