Del Mar Posts Record Graduation Rate but Misses Math, EL Goals

Board of Trustees • Campbell Union High School DistrictOctober 2, 2026

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Del Mar High School graduated 92.9% of its students and posted record college-prep completion, but its principal told trustees the school fell short on math, English learner progress and discipline goals. The Campbell Union High School District Board of Trustees also voted 5-0 to end free International Baccalaureate exams and directed staff to look for roughly $35,000 to soften the cost. Taken together, the Oct. 1 meeting showed a district hitting headline metrics while still struggling to close gaps beneath them.

Del Mar reports 92.9% graduation, 68.8% A-G completion, but misses math, English learner and discipline goals.
IB exams are no longer free. The board approved fees of $85 or $30 per exam on a 5-0 vote and asked staff for more aid options.
Strategic Plan year one is mixed. The district beat its counseling target, but some equity gaps widened.

Del Mar's Report Card: Records and Red Flags

Why it matters: Del Mar is one of the district's high performers. Its plan shows where even a strong campus still trails on state tests, and it sets the targets the school will be judged against in 2026-27.

The basics: A School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) is a campus's annual roadmap of goals and support investments. A-G refers to the course sequence required for University of California and California State University admission.

Where things stand: Principal Diana Nguyen walked trustees through four goals and a new family engagement goal:

College and career readiness: record rates, with 92.9% graduation and 68.8% A-G completion
Literacy and math: partially met
English learners: not met, though the school reclassified 44 students, moving them out of English learner status, the night before the meeting
Student engagement: not met, with progressive discipline for harmful language and suspensions for vaping cited

New targets call for a 4-point improvement in English language arts and a 6-point improvement in math on "distance from standard," which measures how far average scores fall from the state benchmark. The school is also aiming for 55% on the state's college and career indicator.

Nguyen said reducing D and F rates does not mean easing up. "I'm not talking about lowering academic standards and inflating grades," said Principal Nguyen.

The other side: Trustees praised the plan's transparency but pressed on the data. Board President James Kim questioned year-over-year test comparisons. "My constant criticism of CAST data is that it's a different cohort every year, and I don't know where they started at," said Board President Kim.

Kim also questioned the school's switch from AP to IB math. Nguyen defended the move: "Not having the IB math course was posing a pretty significant barrier," said Principal Nguyen.

Strategic Plan Year One: Counseling Up, Gaps Persist

Why it matters: The plan is meant to steer district priorities for the next five years. Trustees signaled the yardsticks themselves may need to change.

Where things stand: Crystal Adams, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, reviewed 30 benchmarks. Post-secondary planning was the clear win. "70% of our 12th graders would say yes, and we hit 72%," said Assistant Superintendent Adams, referring to students who said an adult helped them plan for life after high school.

Other results were weaker:

A-G readiness rose 4%, but gaps widened.
CAASPP test gains were limited.
Students' perception of teacher fairness did not improve.
Diversity among new hires trended down.

On enrollment in advanced courses, Adams was blunt: "In some cases, the gaps got worse," said Assistant Superintendent Adams.

Staff plan to expand restorative practices and Culture Keepers training. They will also add a recruitment protocol for advanced courses.

The other side: Trustee O'Donovan challenged whether survey-based benchmarks prove anything. "I am not sure if it's an accurate enough reflection that the strategic action has actually been fulfilled," said Trustee O'Donovan. She also flagged achievement among Asian students: "Our gap is growing even bigger," said Trustee O'Donovan.

Trustee Goytia asked whether disputes over artificial intelligence are dragging down students' sense of fairness, warning that "the perception of fairness could go down," said Trustee Goytia. Trustee Halliday asked about Project Lead the Way and students with IEPs in advanced courses. Trustee Baker characterized the first year as "year zero."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No action was taken. Trustees want benchmarks refined to measure real impact and want data on Asian students and staff diversity added. Those changes could shift how progress is judged for students of color, students with disabilities and job applicants.

IB Exams Move From Free to Fee

Why it matters: Families of IB students will now pay per exam, and the board is weighing whether to find about $35,000 to cushion the change.

Where things stand: Under the structure staff presented, the default exam price is $126.50. The district subsidizes that to $85 for full IB diploma students and to $30 for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. The district has budgeted $64,515 for exams.

Principal Nguyen said COVID-era funds that once covered the exams have run out and that federal Title I money cannot be used.

The other side: Trustee Halliday pulled the item from the consent calendar. "I still do have some concerns about equity, about relying on students to disclose financial hardship in order to access assistance," said Trustee Halliday. She also flagged families with multiple students taking exams.

Trustee Goytia questioned the cost without total figures. "I'm not sure I'm in favor of this," said Trustee Goytia. Trustee Baker found the structure reasonable: "So I think that seems like a sort of a relatively fair way to do it, as long as we're vigilant," said Trustee Baker.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Halliday initially moved to table the item. Superintendent Robert Bravo noted an exam-ordering deadline and framed the gap as one additional $35,000. "That's why I would encourage you all to approve this item with us giving us direction to come back on potential sources for additional funding," said Superintendent Bravo.

Halliday then moved to approve the item as is, with staff returning with a funding proposal. Goytia seconded, and the motion passed on a voice vote (For: 5, Against: 0, Absent: 0). Diploma candidates and lower-income students bear the new costs until any added aid materializes.

Temporary maintenance staffing: The board approved the Labor Finders agreement 5-0 after staff confirmed it covers temporary needs, will not lay off SEIU members and offers overtime to qualified members first.
Class sizes: Barbara West, President of the Campbell High School Teachers Association, said many subjects exceed class-size caps, leaving little room for students who enroll mid-year.
Trustees sworn in: The board accepted the Certificate of Election Facts 5-0, and Kim (Trustee Area 1), Halliday (Area 2) and Baker (Area 3) took their oaths after running unopposed.
Closed session: The board approved a 5-0 separation agreement giving a certificated employee one month's pay in exchange for a release of claims.
Resolutions and policies: The board adopted a National Principals Month resolution 5-0 and approved second reading of updated board policies 5-0. A companion administrator-week resolution was presented, but no separate vote was identified.

Looking Ahead

Staff will return with options to fund additional IB exam aid. Kim also flagged weak turnout at Prospect facilities meetings: "If we really want to be getting staff feedback, something is not working," said Board President Kim. The Campbell Ed 5K, which benefits the Ed Foundation, runs Nov. 7 at Del Mar High School.

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