The Merced Scholars Dual Immersion Academy is keeping its doors open for another school year, according to the Merced County Office of Education.
The dual language program was at risk of shutting down due to low enrollment and a $1 million deficit. Teachers and parents were confused and shocked by the announcement in late January, demanding answers from administrators surrounding the sudden closure.
The reversal of the decision to close the school was announced Friday afternoon by Superintendent Steve Tietjen.
“[MCOE] heard from parents how important this program is to the school community,” said Nathan Quevedo, spokesperson for MCOE.
The school will remain open for one year, with enrollment for the 2026-27 school year opening on Feb. 17 through March 6.
MCOE’s decision to keep the Dual Language Academy open is contingent on boosting enrollment. In the meantime, MCOE officials say they will work with parents to outreach in the community. If enrollment goals are met, MCOE hopes to keep the school open in subsequent school years.
According to Quevedo, MCOE is pulling from its funding reserves to keep the school open.
Administrators had sought out grant opportunities in years past – but grants for dual immersion charter programs are competitive, MCOE said. Additionally, the program doesn’t qualify for some grant opportunities because of the school’s status as a Local Educational Agency.
The Dual Language Academy was created in 2022, offering 50-50 model learning in Spanish or Hmong. It currently enrolls 96 students from transitional kindergarten through fourth grade.
‘We want a school full of happy, learning kids’
Parents heavily campaigned through social media, phone calls, and tense in-person meetings for MCOE’s decision to be reversed.
The recently formed Parent Teachers Association created an interest form soon after administrators said they needed 100 students to enroll “by tomorrow” to keep the program alive. The form garnered inquiries from over 80 interested families, totaling more than 100 students.
“We’re not stopping at just the 100,” parent Miranda Griswold said. “We want to have the school full of happy, learning kids who are all speaking in Spanish, English and Hmong.”
Griswold said parents are going to be taking on a lot of responsibility to ensure prospective students are making their way into the classrooms – helping administrators with family outreach, conducting open campus tours, and going to events around Merced County to promote the academy.
“A lot of people in Merced didn’t even know this school existed until they found out it was closing,” Griswold said. “We want to share how beautiful our school is. Our library, our playground…our mural and the artwork that’s going to be there next year is going to be gorgeous.”
Parents are cautiously optimistic about the future of the Dual Language Academy – and are excited about the possibility of saving their school for future generations.
“We love our school. We have amazing teachers, an amazing principal and amazing support staff.” Griswold said.“We want other kids in Merced County to experience that. I can’t believe we did it.”