GGUSD Announces Second Vietnamese Dual Immersion Program at Anthony Elementary

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) is pleased to announce that Anthony Elementary School will become the district’s second Vietnamese Dual Immersion school, beginning with a transitional kindergarten class in the 2027–28 school year.

The new program will provide students with the opportunity to learn academic content in both English and Vietnamese, beginning a pathway toward becoming bilingual, biliterate and bicultural. It will launch with students entering transitional kindergarten and expand by one grade level each year as the inaugural class progresses through elementary school, eventually becoming a full TK–sixth grade program.

“GGUSD is proud to bring its Vietnamese Dual Immersion program to Anthony Elementary, expanding a proven model that has earned prestigious accolades and recognition,” said Board President Bob Harden. “This innovative educational opportunity will build upon the academic excellence and strong school community that already make Anthony an outstanding school.”

The announcement follows a thorough review of enrollment, demographic and program data as well as continued interest from families in GGUSD’s highly sought-after Dual Language Immersion programs. The launch presents an exciting opportunity to ensure more families have access to a high-quality Vietnamese dual language education.

Anthony Elementary was named a 2025 California Distinguished School for its exceptional academic achievement, strong instructional practices and commitment to student success.

“By bringing this successful program to Anthony, we are investing in the school’s future while providing more families with access to the lifelong academic, cultural and career advantages that come from learning in two languages,” said Board of Education Vice President Lan Nguyen.

GGUSD launched its first Vietnamese Dual Immersion program at Murdy Elementary School in 2017. One of very few programs of its kind in the nation, Murdy’s program has helped the school attract new families and grow its enrollment. Today, Murdy has a waiting list of families interested in enrolling and has earned an Excellence Award from the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) for its outstanding implementation of bilingual education. Murdy dual immersion students also continue to achieve impressive academic results including test scores that outperform their English-only peers as well as beat the district, county and state average.

The new program will not change the educational program for students currently attending Anthony. Students who will be in kindergarten through sixth grade during the 2027–28 school year will continue receiving the same high-quality academic program they know today. Because language skills are developed progressively, enrollment in the Vietnamese Dual Immersion pathway will begin with students entering TK.

Beginning in November, GGUSD will host orientation meetings for families interested in enrolling a child in the inaugural TK class. Children born between September 2, 2022, and September 1, 2023, are eligible to enroll in transitional kindergarten for the 2027–28 school year.