Sacramento City Unified high school grads will walk Golden 1 stage in 2026
Graduating seniors at Sacramento City Unified School District’s six comprehensive high schools will receive their diplomas on the Golden 1 Center stage. It’s the first time the district has held graduations at the downtown arena.
Families of students at C.K. McClatchy, West Campus, Rosemont, Hiram Johnson, John F. Kennedy and Luther Burbank high schools will flock to downtown Sacramento for their respective commencement ceremonies on June 8 and 9.
While Golden 1 Center is no stranger to holding graduation ceremonies for local colleges and nearby districts, this is the first time Sacramento’s largest event venue will host high school students from the city’s central school district.
The deal with the Sacramento Kings ownership group will cost SCUSD $300,000, according to a district contract report.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, graduation ceremonies for the district’s comprehensive high schools were held at the Memorial Auditorium in downtown Sacramento. In 2021, the district opted for Sutter Health Park to align with COVID guidance to use an outdoor venue.
The district returned indoors to the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in 2025, but this year the space was unavailable, district spokesperson Al Goldberg said.
Students at the district’s specialized high schools will celebrate their graduations at smaller venues.
This story was originally published February 10, 2026 at 4:59 PM.
