Courtesy photos.
VENTURA COUNTY — Dr. Cesar Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, is pleased to announce that Mesa Union School is the winner of the middle school division of the 2026 Ventura County Mock Trial. Mesa Union School earned the highest score in the final round of competition, held this afternoon at the Ventura County Office of Education in Camarillo. Second place went to Hillside Middle School.
2026 Ventura County Mock Trial Middle School Division Winners
- 1st Place: Mesa Union School (Mesa Union School District)
- 2nd Place: Hillside Middle School (Simi Valley Unified School District)
Ventura County is one of the only counties in California to host a middle school division for Mock Trial, in which students take on the roles of attorneys, witnesses and other participants in a courtroom trial. Eleven Ventura County middle schools participated in the initial rounds of competition, which were held at the Ventura County courthouse. Mesa Union School will go on to represent Ventura County in the first-ever statewide middle school Mock Trial competition, which will take place on April 18 at the UCLA School of Law.
“Mock Trial is an incredible opportunity for students to learn about our legal system, practice their public speaking skills, and hone their critical thinking,” said Dr. Cesar Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. “I’m extremely proud that the Ventura County Office of Education is making it available to a growing number of students at the middle school level.”
The middle school division of the Ventura County Mock Trial is now in its fourth year. The eleven schools that participated this year are:
- Briggs Elementary School
- Chaparral Middle School
- Hillside Middle School
- Isbell Middle School
- Las Colinas Middle School
- Medea Creek Middle School
- Mesa Union Middle School
- Rio del Sol Middle School
- Sinaloa Middle School
- Trinity Pacific Christian School
- Valley View Middle School
More about the 2026 Ventura County Mock Trial
The Mock Trial competition is coordinated annually by the Ventura County Office of Education. The event brings courtroom drama to life as students take on the roles of participants in a criminal case, including attorneys, witnesses, bailiffs, and journalists. This year’s fictitious case is People v. Fromholz, which is about the death of a celebrity judge on a TV cooking show. The students present their cases in real courtrooms before actual judges. Local attorneys volunteer to serve as scorers. The Ventura County Office of Education would like to thank Superior Court Judge Gilbert Romero and all of the volunteers whose contributions make Mock Trial such an engaging and impactful educational experience.
A list of past Ventura County Mock Trial winners is available here. Additional information about the Ventura County Mock Trial is available at vcoe.org/mocktrial.
About the Ventura County Office of Education
The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training, and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators, and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions, including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org