Students and staff say district Scholastic Esports program boosts attendance, skills and college pathways

Students, teachers and district officials presented evidence and personal testimony at the Orange Unified School District board meeting on May 9 that the district’s Scholastic Esports program is producing educational and social benefits for participating students.

"Esports has been a very impactful part of my life," said Julian Yenger, an OUSD student, who described finding community and career direction through the program. Staff presenters, including Christina Lin, executive director for technology and student achievement, and Randy Colson, Administrator of Educational Technology, said participation is associated with higher attendance and slightly better GPAs compared with nonparticipants.

The presentation highlighted a targeted intervention at Portola Middle School: a before‑school “Gator game lab” designed to draw students who were approaching chronic absenteeism. Crystal Meyer, who runs that program, said that between March 11 and April 24 nearly 47% of the targeted group recorded perfect attendance after the lab began. Meyer told trustees the lab averages about 60 students per day and is funded in part with Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOP/ELAP) funds to staff the program.

Pablo Larios, a career-technical education teacher who leads campus esports activities, traced the program’s local growth to a 2018 pilot and to sustained community support. Larios described an ecosystem of opportunities beyond competitive play—production, interviews, leadership and curriculum connections—that he said prepares students for careers in game design, software engineering, marketing and related fields.

Students who spoke described gains in public speaking, teamwork and confidence. Ella Gilmore, a recent Villa Park graduate accepted to USC’s film school, credited esports with building leadership experience that helped her secure leadership roles in college clubs.

Trustees asked about efforts to broaden participation among girls and students with disabilities; staff said elementary programs have drawn many girls as participants or supporters, and Portola’s next steps explicitly include outreach to girls and students with disabilities. Trustees also discussed logistics such as transportation, program staffing and possible CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) participation for high school teams.

The district framed esports as both a student engagement strategy—helping students feel they belong on campus—and as an avenue into career and technical education (CTE) pathways. Staff recommended continuing to expand multi‑platform equipment, sustain community events such as elementary Mario Kart tournaments, and gather more longitudinal academic data as the program scales.

No formal board action was taken on the esports presentation; staff said they would return with implementation details and project requests as needed.