New data from the state’s student assessment scores for math, English, and science reveal a sad truth: our children are still falling behind.
According to the California Department of Education (CDE)’s 2024-2025 annual statewide assessment:
52% of California schoolchildren fail to meet basic standards for English.
63% of California schoolchildren fail to meet basic standards for math.
67% of California schoolchildren fail to meet basic standards in science.
With 5,806,221 enrolled students, a 0.54% decrease from last year, an approximate of those percentages could mean that:
3,019,235 students are failing in English
3,657,919 students are failing in math
3,889,169 students are failing in science
“This data tells us there are still millions of students far behind. That’s the reality,” said Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee. “We know that when kids succeed in the classroom, it translates to better success, safety, and security in life. We have to be honest about our kids’ academic performance in California or we risk failing them twice. The data is clear.”
At a press conference, even Governor Newsom admitted, “We need to do more. We need to do better.” An official from Los Angeles Unified School District also said, “There’s a long way to go. Our kids are still performing way below their potential.”
As CalMatters points out, “English language arts scores still lag nearly three percentage points below the pre-pandemic scores, and math scores are nearly 2.5 percentage points behind. The gaps between Black and Latino and white and Asian students narrowed a bit, but gaps between low-income and wealthier students widened in all subjects.” Jessica Sawko, education director at the research and advocacy organization Children Now, also noted that “nearly 63% of California’s students are low-income,” and that “schools get extra money to serve those students.”
While much of the state continues to struggle,Compton Unified makes the case for why data and accountability are critical to helping students. With frequent testing, targeted tutoring, and a commitment to measurable results, it achieved an 8-point jump in English scores and a 6.5-point gain in math, scoring far above state averages.
“The governor's announcement was frankly weak and a disservice to families across the state who are owed honesty, not more smoke and mirrors,” said Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil (R-Jackson). “This is exactly why CDE had to be mandated to release its data each year. Otherwise, we’d get more propaganda. California students and their families deserve better. Let’s start by getting back to the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic.”
Click HERE to view this year’s statewide test results.