How did Californias largest school districts perform in latest test scores? Search the results
Students in California’s five largest school districts improved in math on this year’s state tests, but English results were mixed, with three of the five slipping, according to data released Thursday by the California Department of Education.The results offer a snapshot of how the state’s biggest school systems, which together serve more than 800,000 students, are recovering from the pandemic while facing falling enrollment and tighter budgets.Los Angeles Unified posted the biggest math gain and now tops the state average in math, while San Diego Unified saw the steepest English decline of the group.Statewide, 49.26% of students scored proficient or advanced in English language arts on tests taken last spring, up about half a percentage point from 48.8% the year before.
In math, 38.35% met the standard, up about 1 point from 37.3%.In other words, nearly 5 in 10 California students cannot meet state English standards, while more than 6 in 10 fall short in math.Scores remain below pre-pandemic levels.In 2018-19, the last full school year before COVID-19 closed campuses, 50.9% of students met the English standard and 39.7% met the math standard.Students in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 take the Smarter Balanced tests in English and math each spring.Los Angeles Unified School District LAUSD posted the largest math gain of the five districts.
Of its students, 39.74% scored proficient or advanced in math, up nearly 3 points from last year’s 36.76%, which puts the district above the state average of 38.35%.In English, 48.33% met the standard, up 1.87 points from 46.46% in 2025 and just under the state’s 49.26%.The tests were taken in April, so the results largely reflect the tenure of former Supt.
Alberto Carvalho, who left the district this spring following a FBI probe.The nation’s second-largest school district enrolled about half a million students in 2025-26, according to state data, and preliminary figures show enrollment fell another 4% this fall.I...