Fury as LA schools celebrate student test scores as most kids fall short in reading, math
Parents expressed outrage at Los Angeles public school officials gatheringThursday to pat themselves on the back over the latest state test scores — even as the majority of LA students still can’t meet basic reading and math standards.An event Thursday attended by high-ranking LA Unified School District officials, but lacking any parents or students, highlighted a slight uptick in academic performance for the county’s schoolchildren.Only 48.3% of LAUSD students met or exceeded state standards in English language arts on the 2025-26 Smarter Balanced tests, while 39.7% did so in math, according to California Department of Education data.
That represents a bump of roughly 2 percentage points in English and 3 points in math over last year.While the district technically edged past its pre-pandemic numbers, the reality remains grim: More than 60% of students are falling short of state standards in math, and over half aren’t meeting basic literacy goals.“Behind every data point is a student whose future we are working to strengthen,” LAUSD Superintendent Andrés E.Chait said.
“These results encourage us to keep raising expectations, learning from what works, and ensuring that every school is equipped to help every child succeed.”Students in the nation’s second-largest school managed to slightly beat California’s statewide average of 38.4% in math proficiency.But the gains come as the district faces a deepening budget crisis.On Oct.
6, the state’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, a school finance watchdog, told the school board that the LAUSD is at “high risk” of insolvency.The district’s latest budget plan calls for about $3.6 billion in cuts over three years, including an estimated 6,000 layoffs — more than 10% of its workforce.Furious parents say the district is celebrating a delusion while ignoring systemic failures.Diana Guillen slammed the LAUSD for throwing money at the problem without holding staff accountable.“I feel ...