Sanger Unified mourns Washington Academic Middle School Principal Pete Muñoz

Sanger Unified School District is mourning Pete Muñoz, the principal of Washington Academic Middle School, and the loss lands far beyond a change in leadership at a single campus. The district announced his passing on Wednesday, and Superintendent Dennis Wiechmann, Ed.D., urged the school community to honor Muñoz by working with mutual compassion and a standard of excellence, calling him a “fearless advocate” for students and a “champion” for teachers.

At Washington Academic, Muñoz was the face many students and families saw most often. The middle school at 1705 Tenth Street serves grades 7 and 8 and enrolls 1,534 students, including 139 English learners, according to California Department of Education profile data. Ed-Data lists the campus as a Title I schoolwide site that opened on July 1, 1980, with a staff structure that includes multiple administrators, underscoring how central the principal’s role is in keeping a campus of that size steady from one day to the next.

That matters in Sanger, where a principal is not a remote administrator but a visible public figure. Muñoz helped shape the tone of a campus that has pushed academic gains while trying to keep students engaged and connected. A local education feature before his death said Washington Academic had posted a 10-point increase in English scores, a sign that the school had been building momentum under his watch.

Muñoz’s approach to instruction also stood out. In that feature, he said, “We don’t need quiet classrooms,” a line that captured a school culture built around participation, movement and student voice rather than passivity. Washington Academic’s “Warrior Within” program, led by the leadership class and the activity director, has also focused on helping students empathize with one another and build deeper bonds across campus, a reflection of the broader climate Muñoz helped foster.

For teachers, students and families, his death creates both an emotional void and an immediate practical transition. Middle schools run on routine, consistency and relationships, and a principal often becomes the person who steadies all three. Muñoz’s absence leaves Washington Academic without one of the people most responsible for its daily rhythm, its academic push and its sense of identity. In a district built around close ties between schools and the community, that loss will be felt well beyond the office at 1705 Tenth Street.