Early College High’s Class of 2026 among first crop of Newport-Mesa graduates
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Orange Coast College’s Robert Moore Theater Tuesday played host to an evening of commemoration, as members of Early College High School’s Class of 2026 — each on the brink of a bright future — celebrated years of hard work and preparation.
Family members and friends cheered on 38 graduating seniors in a commencement ceremony that marked the collective and individual accomplishments achieved by students of the Costa Mesa campus, which are not small in number.
This year’s class earned a total of $335,000 in scholarships, including awards from the nonprofits Save Our Youth (SOY), the Assistance League and National Charity League. A total of 26 students plan to attend four-year universities, while 10 will seek two-year degrees. Another two students are planning on trade school and the military, respectively.
Nearly half the student body engaged in either 100 or 250 hours of community service, while more than half earned California Golden State Seal Merit Diplomas for demonstrating mastery of the high school curriculum across at least six subject areas.
Early College Principal Dave Martinez credited this year’s crop of seniors, and their extraordinary performance on annual benchmarks, for the school’s being named a 2026 California Distinguished School.
“The class of 2026 is an accomplished class that had much to do with Early College High School being recognized [with the distinction] after having the best combined state standardized test scores in our school’s 20-year history,” Martinez said in a statement ahead of Tuesday’s ceremony. “ [That] is a major component in determining schools for this award.”
—Daily Pilot Staff
