GLENDALE, Calif., June 26, 2026 — The Glendale Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved Glenoaks Elementary School as the future home of the District's Western Armenian Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program during its Board meeting on Tuesday, June 23, marking another major milestone in the implementation of what will become the nation's first public school Western Armenian Dual Language Immersion program.

The selection follows months of research, planning, and community engagement that included districtwide interest surveys, Board presentations, and feedback from families and staff. Glenoaks Elementary was selected based on several factors, including available classroom space to support the program's long-term growth, strong community interest, and its central location within the district.

Beyond expanding educational opportunities for students, the program represents an important investment in preserving Western Armenian, a language recognized by UNESCO as endangered.

"This is an exciting milestone for our District and for the many families who have advocated for greater access to Western Armenian language education," said Board of Education President Ingrid Gunnell. "We are grateful to everyone who participated in this thoughtful process. Selecting Glenoaks Elementary allows us to continue moving forward as we build a program that will help preserve an endangered language, celebrate culture, and provide our students with the lifelong academic and cognitive benefits of multilingualism."

The Board of Education approved the creation of the Western Armenian Dual Language Immersion Program in January 2026 following overwhelming community interest in expanding Glendale Unified's award-winning Dual Language Immersion offerings. Once implemented, the program will join the District's nationally recognized Dual Language Immersion pathways in Eastern Armenian, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.

The program will welcome its first kindergarten cohort in the 2027-28 school year and will expand by one grade level each year through sixth grade. Families will be able to apply for the first kindergarten cohort when lottery applications for all GUSD DLI programs open in November 2026. More information will be shared on the GUSD website as it becomes available. 

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