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El Rancho Unified superintendent touts record year, new facilities and college pathways
Summary
Superintendent Marco Viegas celebrated academic awards, athletic championships, new playgrounds and an athletic complex, and said partnerships and safety investments are creating clearer college pathways and safer campuses for El Rancho Unified students.
Marco Viegas, superintendent of El Rancho Unified School District, used the district’s State of the Schools address to outline what he called a “remarkable and historic” year for students, citing school recognitions, athletic championships, expanded facilities and new postsecondary partnerships.
Viegas said North Park Academy of the Arts was named a national "school to watch," Ruben Salazar High School was designated a California model continuation high school, and Bernie Tech Academy received California Distinguished School honors. "Our dedication to academic excellence quickly became evident," Viegas said, noting the district’s academic decathlon team won the Division 2 California state championship.
The superintendent highlighted arts and athletics as further measures of student success: award-winning middle-school bands and the El Rancho High School marching band; a CIF Division 11 championship run that captured community attention in Pico Rivera; back-to-back CIF state and national championships for the cheer team; and the wrestling team’s first trip to the Masters meet.
Viegas detailed several facility projects that he said expand student opportunities and community access: new playground structures at all eight elementary schools, new multipurpose rooms and shade structures, a mini soccer pitch at Rio Vista Elementary developed through a partnership with the LA Galaxy Urbal Life (transcript spelling) and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and a new athletic complex with a stadium, fields and an aquatic center. The district marked the opening of the complex with an inaugural "run for the ranch" 5K, Viegas said.
On college access, Viegas described new agreements he said create clearer pathways for students, including a historic relationship with the "University of Lever" (transcript spelling) and an agreement with "Whitier College" (transcript spelling) that he said guarantees admission for eligible seniors. He characterized these partnerships as investments in students’ futures.
Safety was another focus: Viegas said the district welcomed a new chief of police, has installed additional security cameras across campuses and expanded the safety team’s staffing and hours to improve campus security.
Viegas closed by noting strengthened family engagement — the district’s third annual parent summit and ongoing parent advisory committees — and the district’s first State of the Schools event, which he said brought together more than 100 community and civic leaders. He cited a 96.8% graduation rate at El Rancho High School last year and said the current graduating class is expected to surpass that figure; he added seniors earned "well over half a million dollars" in scholarships, including a full ride to MIT.
The address concluded with Viegas thanking students, staff and families and expressing optimism about building on the district’s momentum in the coming year.
