Hemet Unified School District in Riverside county, California, made a districtwide commitment to continuous improvement that has helped them to see important gains across multiple measures of college and career readiness for students. In 2026, Hemet Unified was recognized with the Carnegie Award for Impact for its results: over three years the district increased Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway completion by more than 15%, increased California A-G course completion by close to 7%, and grew graduation and California College and Career Indicator (CCI) completion rates for English Learners faster than overall district averages. Over time the district has built systems to make data actionable, strengthened cross-department and district-school collaboration, and engaged families as critical partners through Parent Walks and other structures.
Coming out of the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, Hemet Unified recognized patterns in high school student performance data that signalled too many graduates were not fully prepared for postsecondary success. This prompted a focused effort to improve students’ access to high-quality postsecondary pathways, as indicated by the California College and Career Indicator.
One key routine in this effort has been the “data dive”, in which cross-functional teams of school site and district personnel come together to examine data, identify actions to take to address identified gaps, complete plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles to test and refine those actions, and report back to the team with data and key learnings. Connecting data to action, this quarterly routine has helped the district to take action on its theory of improvement, align supports across roles and departments, and spread proven practices between sites. The data dive practice has spread from CTE teams to math and ELA data teams, further connecting academic achievement and postsecondary readiness and building common improvement practices across the district system.
Explore the work and results of Hemet Unified School District through these resources:
- Download the Hemet Unified School District Impact Story, including key lessons learned from their work.
- Download Hemet Unified’s Data Dive Template that structures the work of data teams focused on college and career readiness as well as math and English language arts proficiency.
Fellow 2026 Recipients
- Liberty Public Schools: 2026 Carnegie Award for Impact recipient
- CORE Districts’ BTSC: 2026 Carnegie Award for Impact recipient
The Carnegie Foundation launched the Carnegie Award for Impact in 2026 to recognize examples of significant impact on high school student success and preparation for career and postsecondary opportunities. Recipients demonstrate models, approaches and continuous improvement practices that catalyze consistent and persuasive student results, and illustrate the key roles different stakeholders play in sustaining positive improvement.
