Governor Newsom announces graduation rates and academic achievements continue improving

“Seeing modest improvement on every Dashboard indicator should encourage us to deepen our investments in every child’s progress,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. “We can see that strategies like community schools and literacy coaches are making a positive impact for the whole child. I am proud of our work to narrow persistent achievement gaps in student outcomes like graduation rate, and we must not rest until all students’ outcomes represent their brilliance and potential.”

“Today’s Dashboard results show California continuing to make important strides in post-pandemic recovery – we’re getting more students re-engaged in the classroom, graduating students in greater numbers, and getting more of them prepared for college and careers,” said California State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond. “And, as we saw with the recent release of statewide assessment data, our students are making strong progress academically as well. We know there is still much work to do in the years ahead to continue this progress, but these results are an encouraging start.”

School districts across the state have experienced significant increases in student outcomes, demonstrating California’s targeted investments are accelerating academic progress for students statewide.

Governor Newsom’s commitment to K-12 education

The continued improvement visible in the 2025 School Dashboard data comes as a result of California’s continued prioritization of investing in K-12 public education, with a focus on accelerating learning and prioritizing equity. The 2024 Budget Act provided $133.8 billion in total K-12 education funding – the highest per-pupil state funding ever for California students.

Additionally, the state has invested billions to expand access to Governor Newsom’s historic “Transitional Kindergarten” — supporting tens of thousands of four-year-old children with the aim of improving Kindergarten readiness and long-term student outcomes. The most recent state budget allocated an additional $215 million to build on previous investments in the Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Grant Program, which supports the development of school literacy programs and interventions to help students in need of targeted literacy support. And, California was the first state to provide two free meals for all public TK-12 students. 

Recently, Governor Newsom continued to build on his record of investing in and support of California students, signing AB 1454 by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas), which will increase access to the tools, training, and resources educators need to help students become better readers and increase literacy rates in California. And this year marks the first year California students are being screened for reading challenges in grades K-2 — to better assess potential support needed for long-term success.

These critical investments ensure all public school students are ready to learn, further driving positive outcomes. Governor Newsom has made key investments into before- and after-school programs equipped with high-impact tutoring and enrichment opportunities for K-6 students. This investment helps working families with consistent afterschool care and additional resources for their students’ success.

Keeping the Golden State on track

The California School Dashboard is a key component of the state’s school accountability system, which includes the latest data on graduation rates, suspension rates, test scores, English Learner progress, the college/career indicator, chronic absenteeism, and local indicators.

More information about the California School Dashboard is available on the California Department of Education Dashboard Resources web page.

Learn more about the positive outcomes produced by the Governor’s investment here.