As of 1990, the largest immigrant group speaking an ethnic home language in the Glendale Unified School District was Armenians. In 1987 the district had eight Armenian-speaking teachers and teaching aides, and that year had hired five additional Armenian-speaking teachers and teacher aides. By 2004 over 33% of the Glendale district students were Armenian. That year, due to high levels of student absence around the Armenian Christmas the Glendale district considered making Armenian holidays school holidays. In 2016 it also began having no school on April 24, known as the anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide (Red Sunday); it was the first American school district to do this.