California celebrates modest progress in student achievement, but advocates warn it's not enough

"California made incremental gains in boosting student graduation rates, reducing chronic absenteeism and seeing more students ready for college or careers, according to newly released state data. But the state's slow progress means the majority of California's students may not reach proficiency in English Language Arts and math for many years. At the current pace of progress it will take many, many more decades"

"According to the 2025 California School Dashboard, students' graduation rate across the state increased a little less than 1 percentage point from last year, with 87.8% of the state's students graduating high school. Individual student groups saw bigger improvements, with a 3.3 percentage point increase for long-term English learners, a 2.8 percentage point increase for foster youth and a 2.7 percentage point increase for students with disabilities."

California's statewide graduation rate rose slightly to 87.8%. Long-term English learners, foster youth, and students with disabilities saw larger gains (3.3, 2.8, and 2.7 percentage points respectively). TK–8 chronic absenteeism fell from 18.6% to 17.1%, down substantially from a 30% high in 2022, though the most recent decline was only one percentage point compared with a 5.7 point drop the prior year. High school graduates prepared for college and careers increased to 51.7% from 45.3%. At the current pace, reaching broad proficiency in English Language Arts and math would take many decades and risk leaving multiple generations behind.

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