Most California students still cannot read or do math at grade level, according to standardized test results released Thursday.
The latest scores show 49.3% of students met or exceeded state English language arts standards in 2025-26, while only 38.4% reached proficiency in math. These figures come from tests administered in Spring 2026.
The marginal improvements failed to restore pre-pandemic performance levels. English scores rose just 0.5 percentage points from the previous year, when 48.8% of students met standards. Math scores climbed 1.1 points from 37.3% proficiency in 2024-25.
California’s education system has now spent multiple academic years attempting to reverse the steep learning losses that followed COVID-19 school closures. The modest gains suggest that recovery remains stubbornly slow across the state’s public schools.
Before the pandemic disrupted classrooms, California posted stronger numbers. In 2018-19, 50.9% of students met English language arts standards and 39.7% achieved math proficiency. Both benchmarks now sit below those levels despite years of targeted intervention programs and expanded instructional time.
The persistent gaps have fueled political debate about whether progressive education policies have hindered academic progress. Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators have increasingly tied poor outcomes to what they term “woke” classroom approaches, including reduced emphasis on traditional testing and discipline.
Education officials have pointed to ongoing challenges including chronic absenteeism, teacher shortages, and the uneven distribution of resources across wealthy and low-income districts. The state has invested billions in tutoring, extended school days, and mental health services aimed at catching students up.
The 2025-26 results landed amid a broader national crisis in student achievement. Nationwide reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress recently fell to their lowest level in 32 years, intensifying scrutiny of how American schools are preparing children.
California’s math proficiency rate of 38.4% means nearly two-thirds of students in the nation’s most populous state lack grade-level skills in a core subject. The English language arts figure, while slightly better, still leaves a majority of students below the standard.
State education leaders have not yet announced specific policy changes in response to the new data. The next round of standardized testing is scheduled for Spring 2027.