Friday, June 5, 2026

Pasadena Unified Sends Off Class of 2026 in Five Ceremonies at Civic Auditorium

[Courtesy of PUSD]

Five ceremonies across two days at the Civic Auditorium sent off seniors from every district high school

The seniors who walked across the stage at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium this week were juniors when the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena and took five of their district’s campuses with it.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Pasadena Unified School District held five commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2026, graduating seniors from the Center for Independent Study, Rose City High School, Blair High School, John Muir High School, Thurgood Marshall Secondary School, and Pasadena High School. The ceremonies came less than 18 months after the January 7, 2025, fire destroyed five PUSD campuses in Altadena, closed schools for weeks, and displaced thousands of students across the district.

The two-day schedule began Wednesday, June 3, with a combined ceremony for the Center for Independent Study and Rose City High School at 2:00 p.m., followed by Blair High School at 6:00 p.m. Three more followed on Thursday, June 4: John Muir at 11:00 a.m., Marshall at 2:00 p.m., and Pasadena High at 6:00 p.m. Thursday was also the last day of school for PUSD students.

All five ceremonies took place on the same stage inside the Civic Auditorium at 300 East Green Street.

Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco, in an email to the school community on June 1, called the graduates “leaders ready for the world.”

“Your journey through our schools has been shaped by academic achievement, resilience, leadership, and the lifelong friendships you built along the way,” Blanco wrote.

She cited the district’s academic programs — dual language, visual and performing arts, STEAM, college and career academies, and athletics — as pathways that shaped the graduating class.

“You have thrived in classrooms, laboratories, studios, theaters, athletic fields, and community spaces, guided by educators who prepared you for the world,” she wrote.

The formal ceremonies were preceded by cultural celebrations in recent weeks, according to the district. A Latino Grad Celebration, presented by the parent advocacy organization PADRES, recognized the achievements and cultural pride of Latino graduates and their families.

The annual Rites of Passage Ceremony honored African American seniors; each graduate received a Kente stole to wear at commencement.

A separate graduation for the Twilight Adult Education program is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Monday, June 22, at Wilson Auditorium, 300 Madre Street. For more information, contact PUSD at (626) 396-3600 or visit www.pusd.us.

“Carry forward the lessons you learned here,” Blanco wrote to the Class of 2026. “Stay curious, lead with empathy, and never underestimate the power of what you have learned.”