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 meeting on June 23.

According to the GUSD Board of Education, 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.

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 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 at GUSD.net/DLI as it becomes available. 

Submitted by GUSD