Four Pasadena Unified Schools to Be Honored at State PBIS Conference in October

Four Pasadena Unified schools will be recognized at the annual California PBIS Conference in October, the district announced.

James Madison Elementary School, John Muir High School Early College Magnet and Rose City High School earned Platinum, the highest level in California’s statewide recognition system.

Pasadena High School earned Gold, the district said.

The California PBIS Coalition named nearly 2,700 award recipients for the 2025-26 school year, recognizing schools for supportive, inclusive and positive learning environments.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports is a multi-tiered framework rather than a curriculum. Schools set clear behavioral expectations, then teach and recognize those behaviors, an approach the district says helps students feel supported, reduces disciplinary incidents and improves academic outcomes.

In Pasadena Unified the work runs through Behavior Response to Intervention, which the district describes as a proactive, comprehensive and data-driven system that identifies students needing help early and adds increasing tiers of support, with lessons on life skills and evidence-based interventions.

“These awards honor the model work happening in our schools to support students’ social-emotional wellness, and recognize the educators, intervention teachers, MTSS coaches, administrators, and staff who make that work possible every day,” Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco, Ed.D., said. “In PUSD, we believe that children learn better when they feel safe, supported, and connected.”

The 2026 California PBIS Conference runs Wednesday, Oct. 7 through Friday, Oct. 9 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento.