Evidence of Excellence
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Evidence of Excellence
Huntington Beach City School District
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA
Demographics
Huntington Beach City School District serves 5,118 students in eight schools, including six elementary and two middle schools, in coastal California. The district focuses on identifying an instructional framework and a common language, ensuring every student experiences consistent, high-quality learning and measurable academic growth.
8 schools | 5,118 students
- 30.9% free or reduced lunch
- 5.3% English learners
- 647 students with special needs
Huntington Beach City School District's Challenge
Before partnering with Marzano Resources, Huntington Beach City School District found itself at a crossroads. Declining enrollment meant teachers were frequently reassigned between campuses, revealing a growing need for a shared instructional framework and common language—so every student, regardless of school, experienced consistent, high-quality teaching.
After the disruptions of COVID-19, student behavior needs rose noticeably—not because the district lacked a system, but because the needs themselves had changed. “It wasn’t that we were facing challenges implementing a system,” assistant superintendent Cynthia Guerrero explained. “It was simply a growing need.” In response, the district allocated funds to increase counselor support, which quickly evolved into a districtwide, systemic investment in tiered behavior and well-being supports.
The need for coherence became increasingly clear. As superintendent Leisa Winston put it, “We had a lot of good things we were doing, but we weren’t focused. By using the instructional framework, we could finally ask: How do we get back to good teaching?” This realization set the stage for the district’s partnership with Marzano Resources and the adoption of the HRS framework.
Implementation
“When we say our focus is achievement, we mean ALL students—not just the ones already doing well.”
The district began collaborating with associate Dr. Mario Acosta to bring the High Reliability Schools (HRS) framework to life. Dr. Acosta established a steady coaching cadence, visiting about every two months. Sometimes he met with principals, other times with district leaders or teacher teams. This rhythm helped keep the work moving forward and ensured that each group saw how their efforts connected to districtwide goals.
Principals also attended a local HRS Summit, where they shared key insights and reflected on how the work translated to their own campuses. Cynthia explains, “We continually touch base on how we link the work we are doing. It all comes back to alignment and intentionality.”
With a focus on effective teaching practices, the district hired literacy coaches, embedding the instructional framework more deeply into daily instruction. Leaders helped teachers concentrate on strategies that truly moved student learning forward, while letting go of tasks that didn’t.
As the work progressed, schools strengthened their HRS Level 1 systems around culture and climate, ensuring a strong foundation for teaching and learning. Over time, they fully implemented a positive intervention structure, creating cohesive supports for both academic and behavioral needs.
Results
One of the district’s biggest shifts has been in how leaders approach data. Rather than comparing schools to each other, they now focus on student growth by group and by individual, ensuring every learner’s progress counts. This mindset has contributed to remarkable academic gains, especially for English learners. In just one year, English learner progress jumped from 39.5% in 2024 to 57% in 2025, a 44% increase in students making progress toward English proficiency. Nearly 60% of English learners improved by at least one performance level, and English learners are now outperforming several other student groups across key indicators.
These language gains align with broader academic success districtwide. Huntington Beach City School District reached the Blue (Very High) performance level in English language arts, with students scoring 50.3 points above standard. These outcomes highlight the impact of focused literacy efforts, systemwide alignment, and the implementation of the High Reliability Schools framework.
“We were high-performing overall, but not all students were performing,” Guerrero says. “Now we’re seeing growth where it matters most.”
Winston adds, “When we say our focus is achievement, we mean ALL students—not just the ones already doing well.”
Through clarity, consistency, and commitment to the HRS framework, Huntington Beach City School District built a system where strong instruction, stable leadership, and meaningful student growth can flourish now and into the future.
English Learners Progress Growth 2024–2025
Reference: https://www.caschooldashboard.org/reports/30665300000000/2025/academic-performance
Why High Reliability Schools?
Dr. Marzano’s vision for K–12 education is simple: The vast majority of schools can be highly effective in promoting student learning. To show how, he created the Marzano High Reliability Schools framework. This framework, based on 40 years of educational research, defines five progressive levels of performance that a school must master to become a high reliability school—where all students learn the content and skills they need for success in college, careers, and beyond.
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