Stevens High seniors celebrate graduation amid Claremont school uncertainty
Stevens High’s Class of 2026 crossed the stage after Claremont schools cut a roughly $5 million deficit to about $1 million and moved toward new leadership.
Stevens High School’s Class of 2026 graduated with more than diplomas in hand. For students and parents in Claremont, the ceremony on June 12 carried the relief of a school year that had been shadowed by financial strain, staffing changes and questions about whether the district could steady itself.
That backdrop began the previous August, when Claremont schools opened amid a major budget crisis that raised fears of program cuts and even school closure. An audit later exposed roughly a $5 million hole in the district’s finances, and the year closed with the deficit reduced to about $1 million by May 21, 2026. Superintendent Chris Pratt was placed on paid administrative leave in August 2025, adding to a sense of uncertainty that followed families into the graduation season.
Against that setting, the Stevens commencement mattered as a sign that one of the district’s core traditions still held. The Class of 2026 finished the year, families showed up to mark the milestone, and the school community had one night centered on accomplishment instead of crisis. In a city where school finances had been under intense scrutiny, that kind of finish carried real weight for Claremont families who had spent months waiting for signs of stability.
The changes around the district did not stop with the balance sheet. In April, Claremont signed a contract with Timothy Broadrick to become the next superintendent beginning July 1, 2026. In May, Claremont Middle School also saw a leadership change when its principal resigned and an acting principal was named for the rest of the year. Those moves helped frame graduation as a turning point, not just an ending.
For the seniors leaving Stevens High, the ceremony marked a passage through a year that tested the district’s footing and still ended in celebration. For the next class, it offered a small but important promise: even after a year of disruption, Claremont can still deliver the rituals that tell students their work matters.
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