California's 2026 state tests: under half meet English standard, 38% meet maths, gains small

Right · 2California's latest state test results, released on Thursday 15 October 2026 from tests taken in Spring 2026, show 49.3% of students met or exceeded the state English language arts standard and 38.4% met the maths standard. 1 2 Right · 2That is up about 0.5 points in English (from 48.8%) and about 1.1 points in maths (from 37.3%) on the previous year. Just the News also reported that 36% scored proficient or advanced in science, up 3.3 points. 1 2 Right · 2Results remain below the 2018-19 pre-pandemic level. The New York Post gives that year's English figure as 50.9%, while Just the News (via The Center Square) gives 51.7%; both give 39.7% for maths. 1 2

Right · 1Low-income students continue to lag: about 61.1% of socioeconomically disadvantaged students missed the English standard and 72.6% missed the maths standard, with the gap to other students holding at roughly 30 points in both subjects. 1 Right · 1Morgan Polikoff, a USC education professor, told the Post the state needs "much more urgency" and that improvement is "very slow"; he said a new science of reading law should help if implementation and accountability are serious. 1 Right · 1Gov. Gavin Newsom said the progress reflects state investments including universal transitional kindergarten, expanded learning, literacy and maths support, community schools and universal school meals. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said the investments laid a foundation but "we must do more" to turn them into stronger outcomes. 2

Right · 1The governor's press release put achievement at 71% in English, 61.8% in maths and 86.5% in science, figures that appear to include students near proficiency. Lance Izumi of the Pacific Research Institute said combining near-proficient students with proficient ones obscures shortcomings, calling it a "sleight of hand". The Center Square said Newsom's office did not respond to its request for comment. 2 Right · 1Izumi also cited 2024 national NAEP results for California: 29% of fourth graders proficient in reading and 35% in maths, and 28% of eighth graders in reading and 25% in maths. The article cites about $150 billion in education spending, roughly $27,000 per student. 2 Right · 1Among the five largest districts, Los Angeles Unified had the biggest maths gain (to 39.74%, up from 36.76%, above the state average) and 48.33% met the English standard, up 1.87 points. San Diego Unified had the steepest English fall (56.17% to 53.90%); Fresno had the biggest English gain (to 39.92%) but the lowest scores of the five; Elk Grove's English was flat at 54.34%; Long Beach English dipped to 51.08% while maths rose to 39.93%. 3

Right · 1LAUSD officials held an event on the results, where Superintendent Andrés E. Chait said "Behind every data point is a student whose future we are working to strengthen" and "Until every student is at proficiency or higher, our work continues." Parents and an advocate quoted by the Post criticised the celebration, saying it gives families a false sense of complacency. 4 Right · 1The tests were taken in April, so the Post says results largely reflect the tenure of former LAUSD Supt. Alberto Carvalho, who left this spring after an FBI probe. The state watchdog FCMAT has told the board the district is at "high risk" of insolvency, and its budget plan calls for about $3.6 billion in cuts over three years, including an estimated 6,000 layoffs. 3 4 Right · 1School-level results varied widely across 8,682 public schools. Cold Spring Elementary in Santa Barbara County topped the list (100% in English, 98.97% in maths), while San Mateo Park Elementary was lowest among regular schools with at least 50 students tested (3.57% and 5.56%). Thirty-eight schools averaged 90% or higher and 201 averaged below 10%. Polikoff attributed gaps partly to poverty, homelessness and difficulty retaining experienced teachers in disadvantaged schools. 5

Right · 1Other districts differed: Irvine Unified had 74.3% meeting the English standard and 70.7% the maths standard, and San Diego Unified, the state's second-largest district, had 53.9% and 45.9%. 4