New school year, new School Board President just around the corner
The 2025-26 Long Beach School District school year officially starts on July 30. Teachers return to work at schools throughout the district, including Long Beach High School, pictured here, on July 25. (Photo credit: Toni Miles)
By Toni Miles
It won’t be long before students fill the halls of schools throughout the Long Beach School District (LBSD), as the 2025-26 school year is set to begin on July 30, but parents are advised that students must be registered for the new school year by July 18.
Just a few days before students return to class, teachers throughout the district will return to work, on July 25.
There will be no district-wide residency event this summer. Proofs of Residency Documentation must be submitted to each child’s school. Registration can be completed online by clicking on the “Registration” link on the LBSD website, LBSDK12.com. All students in the district must be fully registered by Friday, July 18, in order to start school on July 30. Complete online meal applications can be submitted starting July 1. Once registration is completed, including online meal applications, students can participate in Meet the Teacher events and schedule pickups.
Eric Valles will take over as the Long Beach School Board President on July 1, when current School Board President takes on his new role officially as the Mayor of Long Beach the same day.
Come July 1, the City of Long Beach will not only have a new mayor, Tim Pierce, but also a new Long Beach School Board President, Eric Valles, who was appointed by City leaders to fill the school board vacancy left by Pierce, who had just started serving his five-year term as School Board President in March.
At the June 3 Long Beach Board of Aldermen meeting, City leaders announced that Valles, who currently serves as a Long Beach School Board member, has been appointed to replace Pierce as the Long Beach School Board President effective July 1.
Valles will join other Long Beach School Board members who are currently serving their five-year terms, including Sandi Dulaney, whose term began in 2021; Scott Rishel, whose term began in 2022; Lisa Smith, whose term began in 2023; and Frank Castiglia, whose term began in 2024.
The 2025-26 LBSD school year consists of two 90-day semesters, for a total of 180 school days. Make-up days, if needed, are scheduled for October 8, 9 and 10 for the first semester, and for February 18, 19 and 20 during the second semester.
Long Beach High School Graduation for the Class of 2026 is scheduled for May 14, and the last day of school, which is a 60-percent day, is set for May 28, 2026.
The Long Beach High School Bearcats Homecoming is set for September 12, when the LBHS Bearcats football team squares off against the Bay (St. Louis High School) Tigers at 7 pm.
