# Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District

The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD) is a public school district that serves Placentia, Yorba Linda, and parts of Anaheim, Brea, and Fullerton located in northeast Orange County, California. The school district covers 45 square miles (120 km$^2$) and employs 2,000 people. Its student enrollment is approximately 24,000, and the District's 34 school sites include 20 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, 1 K-8 school, 4 comprehensive high schools, 1 special education school, 1 continuation high school, 1 TK-12 home school, and 1 K-12 online school, alongside 5 state preschools. The superintendent is Dr. Alex Cherniss Ed.D., but he was put on administrative leave in December 2024. The Board of Education includes Carrie Buck, Marilyn Anderson, Leandra Blades, Todd Frazier, and Tricia Quintero. Twenty-five schools have been designated California Distinguished Schools, eight have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools, seventeen have been honored as California Gold Ribbon Schools, one has earned the title of California Model Continuation High School, and another has received California's Exemplary Independent Study recognition. The district has also been placed on the College Board’s AP District Honor Roll three times since the program's inception in 2011. The high schools featured are consistently named to "America's Best High Schools" rankings issued by Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, and other news organizations.

## Academics

Academically, the District's students excel on standardized tests, outpacing both state and county averages. Students have won high honors in the county, state, and national competitions, including Academic Decathlon and Science Olympiad tournaments, Mock Trial, and both visual and performing arts competitions. The District averages 30 National Merit and Commended Scholars each year. Graduating classes traditionally earn millions of dollars in academic and athletic scholarships. Graduates attend the most prestigious colleges and universities and often receive appointments to the Air Force Academy, Annapolis and West Point. Notably, Olympic gold medal winners Janet Evans and Michele Granger are among these graduates, as are former state senator John Lewis, world-renowned opera soprano Deborah Voigt, nationally recognized physician Dr. William Schoolcraft, baseball stars Dan Petry, Phil Nevin, and Brett Boone, and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba.

## History

The school district dates back to 1874 and has always maintained a rich, historical tradition. A portion of the 1912 Bradford schoolhouse still stands at one of the high school sites, which opened in 1933. The remainder of the district's existing schools were built primarily in the 1960s and 1970s. Thanks to two community bond measures, four new schools opened between 2004 and 2009. The bonds also provided for the renovation of every school in the district and resulted in modernized classrooms equipped with the latest teaching technology tools, new libraries, school offices, science labs, computer pods between classrooms, expanded parking lots, playgrounds, gyms, training and locker rooms.
The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District obtained its name after the 1989 merger between the school districts serving the established community of Placentia and the growing area of Yorba Linda. In 2002 and 2008, the community approved school bond measures to renovate existing schools and build new ones.

## Schools and principals
### Middle schools

* Bernardo Yorba: Beth Fisher
* Kraemer: Michael Young
* Travis Ranch: Kristen Petrovacki
* Tuffree: Sarah Barton
* Valadez: Dr. Christa Borgese
* Yorba Linda: Paige Stills

### High schools

* El Dorado: David Okamoto
* Esperanza: Jeff Giles
* Valencia: Chris Herzfeld
* Yorba Linda: Richard Dinh

### Alternative education schools

* El Camino Real (9–12 continuation): Scott Mazurier
* La Entrada (9–12 independent study) – Carey Cecil
* Parkview (K–12 home school/independent study): Dominique Polchow
* Buena Vista Virtual Academy (K-12) :Jamie Jauch