The Ventura County Office of Education is pleased to announce the eight high school teams that will move on to the semifinal round of the 2025 Ventura County Mock Trial competition. Twenty-two local high schools fielded teams in the initial Mock Trial rounds held last weekend at the Hall of Justice at the Ventura County Government Center. The competition drew approximately 4,000 students, parents, and volunteers to the courthouse over the weekend. The following eight high school teams had the highest scores and will advance to the semifinals:
- Newbury Park High School (Team 2)
- Oak Park High School (Team Black)
- Oak Park High School (Team Gold)
- Royal High School
- Saint Bonaventure High School
- Trinity Pacific Christian School (Team 1)
- Trinity Pacific Christian School (Team 2)
- Westlake High School (Team 1)
The high school mock trial semifinals will take place on Saturday, March 1. The top four remaining teams will advance to the finals on Sunday, March 2.
Middle School Competition Enters Third Year
For the third year in a row, the Ventura County Mock Trial includes a separate competition for middle school students. This year, nine local middle schools will face off at the Hall of Justice beginning on Saturday, March 1.
More about the 2025 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. The students present their cases in real courtrooms before actual judges. Local attorneys volunteer to serve as scorers. This year’s fictitious case is People v. Gold, which is about a city council candidate's kidnapping.
The high schools participating in this year’s Mock Trial are:
- Adolfo Camarillo High School
- Buena High School
- Channel Islands High School
- Fillmore High School
- Hueneme High School
- The High School at Moorpark College
- Newbury Park High School
- Nordhoff High School
- Oak Park High School
- Oaks Christian School
- Rancho Campana High School
- Rio Mesa High School
- Royal High School
- Saint Bonaventure High School
- Santa Paula High School
- Santa Susana High School
- St. Augustine Academy
- Thousand Oaks High School
- Trinity Pacific Christian School
- Ventura High School
- Villanova Preparatory High School
- Westlake High School
Middle schools participating this year are:
- Hillside Middle School
- Isbell Middle School
- Medea Creek Middle School
- Mesa Union Middle School
- Monte Vista Middle School
- Rio del Sol Middle Schol
- Sinaloa Middle School
- Trinity Pacific Christian School
- Valley View Middle School
The winning high school team will go on to the state Mock Trial contest which takes place in Los Angeles in March. Ventura County has taken first place at the state level in 2021, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2008. This year’s Ventura County Mock Trial logo artwork was created by Aarush Mane from Medea Creek Middle School.
Additional information about the Ventura County Mock Trial is available at vcoe.org/mocktrial.