Swim Up Hill Expands SoCal Swim Project Across LAUSD with Support from State Grant and One with the Ocean
Largest school-based swim-equity initiative in California will reach 20,000 LAUSD students at 100 schools by 2026, funded by the Outdoor Equity Grant.
Los Angeles, California — In a landmark public-private-state collaboration, Swim Up Hill, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the State of California, One with the Ocean, and Ready, Set, Gold are scaling the SoCal Swim Project into the biggest school-centered swim-equity campaign California has ever seen. By the end of 2026, the two-year, six-phase rollout will reach 20,000 elementary and middle-school students at 100 LAUSD campuses, all funded through the state’s Outdoor Equity Grant.
Los Angeles Unified School District partners with Swim Up Hill to lead the largest school-based swim equity initiative in California.
A Systems-Level Shift
Instead of asking families to find a pool, Swim Up Hill brings one to campus. Within a five-mile hub around Algin Sutton Park, a cornerstone of LA’s Olympic-legacy corridor, students first explore water safety and confidence through media kits featuring books, character stories, and mobile swim games. When the Swim Bowl, a temporary regulation-depth teaching pool, rolls onto the blacktop, those same students step from story to water in a trauma-informed, fear-averse environment that meets them where they already learn and play.
Algin Sutton Park pool—an anchor site of LA’s Olympic-legacy corridor and a hub for SoCal Swim Project activations.
Technology and Tradition Working Together
Dozens of these on-site activations are already underway, transforming playgrounds into pop-up aquatics classrooms. The fusion of digital storytelling with hands-on instruction ensures that every learning style, cultural context, and confidence level is honored, laying the groundwork for lifelong, healthy relationships with water.
Leadership, Funding, and Phases in Motion
Guided jointly by Swim Up Hill, One with the Ocean, LAUSD, Ready, Set, Gold, and the State of California, the program shows how state dollars can ignite grassroots innovation at scale. Phase 3 summer-school outreach is live today; Phase 4 on-campus Swim Bowl lessons run through fall 2025, with media follow-ups and community celebrations extending into winter 2026. Full grant fulfillment is scheduled for year-end 2026, aligning with LA28 Olympic-legacy milestones and positioning LAUSD as a national template for school-based swim equity.
“We’re not just teaching kids to swim—we’re changing how they see themselves in water. This project shows what’s possible when public systems invest in community-centered innovation,” said Paralympic medalist Jamal Hill.
“The Outdoor Equity Grant was never about hitting a quota; it was about sparking a movement. Swim Up Hill has turned that vision into reality for thousands of LAUSD students,” added a representative from One with the Ocean.
A landmark collaboration powered by the State of California, LAUSD, One with the Ocean, Ready, Set, Gold, and Swim Up Hill.
How to Partner
Groups, companies, and philanthropies can help extend the impact of SoCal Swim by supporting additional campuses, accelerating the final rollout phases, or aligning their brand with Olympic-legacy and global sustainability campaigns.
MEDIA CONTACT:
pr@swimuphill.com
