NMUSD 60th Anniversary (1966-2026)
July 1, 1966, marked the beginning of a unified educational community serving Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Formed from the merger of the Costa Mesa Union School District, the Newport Beach City School District, and the Newport Harbor Union High School District, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) started out with a simple but ambitious goal: provide a strong, cohesive educational system for every student in the growing region.
60th Anniversary Timeline
Click the images below to take a trip through highlights from the beginnings of NMUSD to the present.
July 1, 1966: Unification of the Costa Mesa Union School District, the Newport Beach City School District, and the Newport Harbor Union High School District forms Newport-Mesa Unified School District.
July 5, 1966: The first NMUSD School Board meeting is conducted with Board Members James Peyton, Elizabeth Lilly, Marian Bergeson, Donald Duncan, Donald Strauss, Earl Peterson, and Roderick MacMillian.
1966: Students pose in one of NMUSD’s first classrooms - what started here has grown into a community serving generations of learners.
1970-71: NMUSD has the highest enrollment in its history - 26,734.
1977: Science students get their first look at the school’s new spectrophotometer.
1980 - Present: Newport-Mesa Schools Foundation is established. It has donated more than $8 million to NMUSD.
1985 - Present: NMUSD schools obtain 11 National Blue Ribbon School awards and 52 California Distinguished School awards.
March 1990: A multi-year budget is approved to expand the use of computers in classrooms across the district.
1990s: The current District Education Center opens to consolidate operations and provide a centralized public board room for community meetings.
2000 & 2006: Measures A & F pass to provide school facility funding.
2009 - Present: NMUSD schools earn 15 Title 1 Academic Achievement Awards.
2015 - present: NMUSD schools receive 141 California Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports (PBIS) awards.
July 1, 2016: NMUSD celebrates its 50th anniversary by burying a time capsule to be opened July 1, 2041. The district unveils a new logo.
2020: Schools shift to online learning due to the global pandemic. NMUSD is among the first districts to safely reopen for in-person instruction.
2022-2023: The district expands CIF opportunities for girls in sports — including beach volleyball and flag football — while NMUSD’s athletic excellence grows to nearly 600 CIF and State titles.
July 1, 2026: Newport-Mesa Unified School District celebrates its 60th anniversary.
Spotlight on Alumni
As we celebrate Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s 60th anniversary, we want to highlight alumni who helped build our legacy.
If you attended an NMUSD school, we invite you to share your memories as a student and upload a photo from your NMUSD days and one from now.
Your story may be highlighted throughout this 2026-27 school year. Submission does not guarantee inclusion. Content may be edited for clarity or length. By participating, you agree that your name, responses, and photos may be used publicly for publication on school and district websites, social media, television and print news media, and other electronic, digital, and print media.
Thank you for being a part of our history — and our future.
Read More . . .
Learn about Newport-Mesa Unified School District through the decades by clicking on the news story below:
Follow Us on Social Media
Follow us on social media throughout the 2026-27 school year as we highlight the district's 60th anniversary! Take a walk down memory lane with us as we share historical highlights, memorable moments, fun facts, and more!
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