Welcome to Edison Language Academy – Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District’s Dual Immersion Elementary School!

At Edison, all students from Preschool through 5th grade learn in Spanish and English with the goals of: 1) developing proficiency in both languages, 2) mastering curriculum in all other areas, 3) becoming socio-culturally competent – proud of their own identities and cultures and respectful of others.  This is Edison's 35th year as a dual immersion school, making us one of the longest-established programs in the State of California.  Over the last few years, we've been able to add the Seaside Preschool program and Bridges Transitional Education program to our K-5 school and are proud that the Language Academy is now a PreK-12th grade program in SMMUSD.

Edison is not a neighborhood school but is a school of choice for families that want a dual language education for their child.  We are a warm and diverse community and focus on the development of the whole child. Edison is fortunate to have a supportive and involved parent community with many trained parent volunteers who support our programs and students in  different ways. Please do whatever you can to support your child’s school with your time, talents, and resources! It takes a village to give our children this kind of education and there’s a place where everyone can make a comfortable contribution and connection.

Edison offers an academically rigorous program and has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the US Department of Education, as a California Distinguished School (twice), with a Seal of Excellence from the California Association for Bilingual Education, has received multiple years recognition as a Title I Academic Achievement School from the California State Department of Education, and multipe  Honor Roll School awards from the Education Results Partnership. Each year, we work to strengthen our students’ academic success – in English, Spanish and all other subjects. There is always academic work to do to move students from good to great and close achievement gaps! And there is always work to do to strengthen students' social emotional skills, habits of learning, and cross cultural competence. 

The Edison program follows California state content standards and SMMUSD guidelines and uses district-adopted curriculum.  The Edison program is also enriched by the arts (music, theater, and visual arts) and a focus on the cultures of the Americas and our students enjoy Green STEM lessons in  Edison’s Edible School Garden.  We continue to organize instruction around the principles of Growth Mindset, Responsive Classroom, and the Social Justice Standards, and use Mindfulness and the Olweus Anti-Bullying Curriculum in our morning meetings.

We are excited to again be offering in-person instruction and to launch the 2022-2023 school year, incorporating 100+ new families and students into the Edison community.  We continue to learn and grow together -- through two languages!  If you have a child already enrolled at Edison, welcome to the 2022-2023 school year and if you are a family looking to learn more about Edison and see if it might be the right environment for your child n the future, come to one of our orientations to learn more.

Warmly,

Lori S. Orum, Principal