Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School’s Class of 2026 held its graduation ceremony on Friday, May 22, 2026, in the school courtyard. The event took place at the same location where the school’s annual prom is typically held, with students and families gathered under string lights and a canopy of palm trees. The ceremony followed a week of final exams and a senior prom at the Brevard County Convention Center, which drew over 600 attendees according to school officials.
Approximately 325 students walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, with speeches from valedictorian Emma Torres and student government president Jake Martinez. Torres thanked teachers for their support during the pandemic, while Martinez highlighted the class’s efforts to increase participation in STEM programs at the school. Both students are planning to attend Florida Institute of Technology in the fall.
The graduation was streamed live on the school’s YouTube channel, which had over 1,200 viewers at peak capacity. Parents and relatives who could not attend in person sent messages via a digital guestbook set up by the school’s technology department. The event concluded with a performance by the school band, which played a medley of songs from the class of 2026’s senior year.
Florida Today photographer Malcolm Denemark captured the ceremony, with images published online and in the newspaper’s print edition. The school’s principal, Dr. Linda Nguyen, said the choice to hold the ceremony in the courtyard was made to accommodate social distancing guidelines and provide a more intimate setting for families. 'It’s been a challenging year, but we wanted to make sure our students felt celebrated,' she said in a statement.