District Spotlight: How Lamont Elementary School District Cultivates Generations of Learners and Leaders

Surrounded by fields that have sustained generations of families, Lamont Elementary School District (LESD) has grown alongside the agricultural community it has served for more than 130 years. Long before Lamont officially became a town, children were already gathering to learn, beginning a legacy that continues today as many former students return to the district as educators, staff members, and district leaders.

Officially established in 1923, Lamont flourished thanks to the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads, which helped transport local produce and supported the region’s agricultural economy. More than a decade later, the town’s population nearly doubled as families migrated from Dust Bowl states and labor camps at the nearby DiGiorgio farms closed, bringing new residents seeking opportunities.

Originally established as the Mountain View School District in 1894, LESD opened with only 17 students. Like many Lamont families, those early students experienced the uncertainties of life in an agricultural community.

Students often encountered hazards such as rattlesnakes on their walk to school, prompting teachers to keep a vigilant watch over their safety. School grounds were fenced to help protect students, and classes were occasionally suspended during severe dust storms. Despite those challenges, the district continued to expand.

Today, LESD serves more than 2,600 students across four schools — Alicante Avenue School, Lamont School, Myrtle Avenue School, and Mountain View Middle School.

The legacy continues through the leadership of first-year Superintendent Brandy Charles, who first experienced LESD as a student before returning to serve the community that helped shape her. Today, she is helping write the next chapter in the district’s history.

Charles still remembers walking each day to Alicante Avenue School past the site that is now the district office.

“I walked across the park every day to come to school and the district office was not here — it was just a dirt field with poles,” Charles recalled. “My brothers and I would jump the fence and go lizard hunting!”

Charles attended Alicante Avenue Elementary School before moving on to Myrtle Avenue School and graduating from Mountain View Middle School in 1986, following the district’s grade-level configuration at the time.

During college, Charles returned to Lamont in 1992 as a basketball coach before beginning her career with LESD as a physical education teacher. She later served as vice principal, principal, and director of human resources before becoming the district’s superintendent earlier this year.

Although Charles now leads the district, she is quick to credit the classified staff and teachers who create a welcoming environment for students every day.

“We have a wonderful classified staff that really dedicates themselves to supporting our students, making them feel welcome, making them feel safe and helping them along the way,” Charles said. “Our teaching staff is just amazing. They go above and beyond every day.”

For Charles, the district’s story comes full circle every time she sees a former student return — not just to visit, but to teach and serve the community that once invested in them.

“We’re educating generations of families, and that really holds true,” she said. “Our families stay here, so people want to come back and work here. They want to be able to check on their mom during lunch or have lunch with their grandparents once a week. When we interview them and ask why they want to return to Lamont, they tell us, ‘I have family here. It’s time to come home.'”

Looking ahead, one of the district’s top priorities this year is helping English learners, particularly long-term English learners, achieve reclassification before entering high school, expanding their access to future academic pathways and opportunities.

“We want to make sure they’re getting what they need so that when they leave our district and enter high school, they have every opportunity to pursue whatever future path they choose,” Charles said.

She also hopes to foster a culture of reading by encouraging students and families to see books not simply as classroom tools, but as a lifelong source of curiosity and enjoyment.

Since the start of the school year on July 22, district leaders have embraced this year’s district theme, “Rooted in Purpose, Driven by Impact.”

Charles said she introduced the theme during the district’s leadership retreat using decorations and core principles from The Wizard of Oz to compare the journey of Dorothy and her companions to the work educators do every day.

“They’re all on this journey, and in the end, it all comes back to, ‘There’s no place like home.’ There’s no place like LESD. They still come back because this is home, and we’re shaping futures for generations to come,” Charles said.

Superintendent Brandy Charles stands with Alicante Avenue Elementary School Principal and other district staff on the first day of school at the elementary school she once attended as a student.