Public education in California

K-12 education in California

Education facts

State superintendent: Tony Thurmond

Number of students: 5,496,271

Number of teachers: 319,004

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:17.2

Number of school districts: 977

Number of schools: 9,006

Graduation rate: 85%

Per-pupil spending: $14,031

See also

California Department of Education • List of school districts in California • California • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in California Glossary of education terms

Note: These statistics are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of October 2022.

The California public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, California had 5,496,271 students enrolled in a total of 9,006 schools in 977 school districts. There were 319,004 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 17 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, California spent on average $14,031 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 85 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how California compares to three neighboring states with respect to the number of students, schools, teachers per pupil and administrators per pupil for the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level. Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page. In the 2012-2013 school year, California had the highest teacher-to-student ratio among its neighboring states, 1:24.

Regional comparison, 2012-2013
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending
California	9,006	977	5,496,271	319,004	1:17.2	$14,031
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates" California Department of Education, "Fingertip Facts on Education in California," accessed October 5, 2022

Academic performance

---

The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

---

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon), California's fourth grade students fared the worst in mathematics, with 33 percent scoring at or above proficient in the 2012-2013 school year.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
California	33%	28%	27%	29%
Arizona	40%	31%	28%	28%
Nevada	34%	28%	27%	30%
Oregon	40%	34%	33%	37%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for California and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

California schools reported a graduation rate of 80.4 percent, highest among its neighboring states.

In California, more students took the SAT than the ACT, earning an average SAT score of 1,505.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
California	80.4%	Third	22.2	26%	1,505	57%
Arizona	75.1%	Fifth	19.6	50%	1,551	35%
Nevada	70.7%	Fifth	21.3	32%	1,454	48%
Oregon	68.7%	Fifth	21.5	34%	1,539	49%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for California was higher than the national average at 4.2 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 4 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in California

School choice options in California included charter schools, online learning programs and open enrollment policies. In addition, about 9.00 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-12 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-13.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

California is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: California state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

California spent approximately 21.4 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from state funds. When compared its neighboring states, California spent the second highest percentage of its total budget on public education in fiscal year 2013.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
California	21.4%	$9,220	11.8%	52.9%	35.3%
Arizona	18.6%	$7,208	14.6%	36.2%	49.2%
Nevada	22.3%	$8,339	9.5%	61.9%	28.6%
Oregon	14.3%	$9,543	7.8%	50.5%	41.7%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenues breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In California, the primary source of school system revenue came from state funding, at $35.1 billion. California had the highest total public school system revenues in the country during fiscal year 2013.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
California	$7,836,263	$35,141,208	$23,468,448	$66,445,919
Arizona	$1,178,356	$2,934,165	$3,985,395	$8,097,916
Nevada	$392,009	$2,556,472	$1,181,811	$4,130,292
Oregon	$471,682	$3,041,825	$2,508,173	$6,021,680
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in California totaled approximately $68 billion in fiscal year 2012. California reported the highest total public education expenditures in the country during fiscal year 2012.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
California	$57,975,189	$6,693,286	$3,264,820	$67,933,295
Arizona	$7,974,545	$922,249	$282,469	$9,179,262
Nevada	$3,574,233	$327,173	$262,933	$4,164,339
Oregon	$5,389,273	$448,212	$341,375	$6,178,860
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in California, the average salary increased by 6.4 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
California	$65,159	$72,803	$69,672	$69,324	6.4%
Arizona	$50,430	$50,119	$49,501	$49,885	-1.1%
Nevada	$53,830	$54,999	$55,467	$55,957	4%
Oregon	$57,856	$58,948	$58,302	$58,758	1.6%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: California Department of Education

The mission statement of the California Department of Education reads as follows:

“

California will provide a world-class education for all students, from early childhood to adulthood. The Department of Education serves our state by innovating and collaborating with educators, schools, parents, and community partners. Together, as a team, we prepare students to live, work, and thrive in a highly connected world.

”

The California Superintendent of Public Instruction is elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections.

The California State Board of Education determines K-12 policy for the state. The superintendent of public instruction serves as the board's executive officer and secretary. The board is composed of 10 members who serve four-year terms and one student member who serves a one-year term. All members are appointed by the governor.

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. California ranked sixth overall for union power and influence.

In July 2009, United States Education Secretary Arne Duncan challenged members of the National Education Association to stop resisting linking teacher pay with student performance. "It's not enough to focus only on issues like job security, tenure, compensation, and evaluation," he said. "You must become full partners and leaders in education reform. You must be willing to change."

In June 2009, the California Teachers Association announced that they could not support Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan for digital textbooks in 2010. "It's a nice idea, but it's not going to work," said David Sanchez, president of the California Teachers Association. "Where are you going to get a computer for everybody? How many of these kids actually have computers at home?" Instead, Sanchez said that he would like to see the governor's proposal for increasing funds for education. The union suggested increasing tax revenues to directly support schools.

Other California unions include the California Federation of Teachers.

Government sector lobbying

See also: California government sector lobbying

Taxpayer-funded lobbyists for state public schools included

• Association of California School Administrators
• Association of Low Wealth Schools
• California School Boards Association
• Cities, Counties and Schools Partnership

Transparency

In 2008, the governor launched "School Finder," a website that provides access to data reported by California’s schools to the California Department of Education. Data available on the website covers state elementary through high schools and includes traditional, alternative, adult education and charter schools. “This vital information, compiled in one easy-to-navigate site, will increase school accountability and transparency, and put power back into the hands of California parents. The facts of achievement for every school in California are now easily accessible – not buried in bureaucracy,” said Schwarzenegger about the launch.

Studies and reports

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 used six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, labeled chance for success, as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. . The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

California received a score of 74.1, or a C- average in the chance for success category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in standards, assessments and accountability at 92.8, or an A average. The lowest score was in K-12 achievement at 67.8, or a D+ average. The chart below displays the scores of California and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
California	72.4 (C-)	67.8 (D+)	92.8 (A)	71.6 (C-)	69.2 (D+)	82.1 (B-)
Arizona	70.2 (C-)	66.6 (D+)	87.6 (B+)	62.4 (D-)	66.8 (D+)	78.6 (C+)
Nevada	65.7 (D)	66.7 (D+)	75.4 (C)	71.0 (C-)	64.5 (D)	75.0 (C)
Oregon	74.6 (C)	64.8 (D)	80.1 (B-)	63.5 (D)	71.0 (C-)	85.7 (B)
United States	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

Issues

Parent trigger law

On January 7, 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the nation's first education reform bill into law referred to as a parent trigger law. A parent trigger allows parents to intervene in the administration of an academically failing school in order to make substantive changes. These changes include the ability to replace school personnel related to the poor academic performance of the school, the ability to convert the school into a charter school and the ability to close the school.

In order to enact a parent trigger, a majority of parents with children enrolled in or about to matriculate into the academically failing school must sign a petition. Up to 75 schools can be the subject of a single parent trigger petition. Parents involved in the petition process must disclose any financial or organizational support received for their effort, and charter school conversion advocates are forbidden from donating. In California, a school must fail to meet Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks for three consecutive years and also be in corrective action status for one year under the No Child Left Behind Act to be at risk of action under a parent trigger.

Parents have invoked the law several times in the Los Angeles Unified School District, once in the Adelanto School District and once in the Compton Unified School District. Efforts to invoke parent trigger laws proved controversial in all three school districts, and both the Adelanto and Compton petitions faced legal challenges from parent trigger law opponents. In Compton, the parent trigger petitions were ruled invalid on technical grounds by the court. In Adelanto, the petitioners won the court battle in 2012 and turned Desert Trails Elementary School into a charter school, the Desert Trails Preparatory Academy, which opened in 2013. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, several schools have confronted parent trigger petition efforts, including 24th Street Elementary School and Weigand Avenue Elementary School.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

California contains multiple types of school districts. The most prevalent are Unified districts (K-12), which contain both elementary and high schools, Elementary districts (K-6 or K-8), which contain only elementary schools and High School districts (9-12), which contain only high schools.

School board composition

California school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed to county boards of education and to fill vacancies until the next election for the seat is held. California school board elections typically follow one of these three methods, or a mixture thereof:

• At-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, regardless of geographic location.
• Trustee area: Only voters residing in a specific geographic area within the school district may vote on certain candidates, who must also reside in that specific geographic area.
• Trustee area at-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, but candidates must reside in specific geographic areas within the school district.

School boards can consist of three, five or seven members. School board members serve four-year terms, which are often staggered every two years.

Term limits

California does not impose statewide term limits on school board members. However, terms limits on school board members can still be imposed on the local level.

Elections

See also: California school board elections, 2025

The table below contains links to all school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2025 in this state. This list may not include all school districts with elections in 2025. Ballotpedia's coverage includes all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

2025 California School Board Elections
District	Primary	General Election	General Runoff Election	Regular term length	Seats up for election	Total board seats	2022-2023 enrollment
Newport-Mesa Unified School District	N/A	6/10/2025	N/A	4	1	7	17,816

Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in California, a person must be:

• 18 years of age or older
• A citizen of California
• A resident of the school district
• A registered voter in California
• Not a current employee of the school district
• Not disqualified by the California state constitution or laws from holding civil office

On July 23, 2012, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 4210 into law, which banned convicted felons from running for office in California.

The process of running for office as a school board candidate begins with filing a declaration of candidacy form at the local county elections office. This form must be filed between 113 and 88 days before the election is held. Candidates may also be required to submit a filing fee to the county elections office or a petition with nominating signatures in order to be put on the ballot, but these rules vary from school district to school district and are not uniform across California. On the ballot, candidates are listed using a randomized alphabetical order, due to state courts ruling that standard alphabetical or incumbent-first ordering are unconstitutional.

California distributes a voter's guide to all registered voters in the school district prior to the election, and candidates may include a candidate statement in this voter's guide. This usually requires candidates to pay another fee to the county elections office, but some school districts will assume the cost of this candidate statement filing fee for all school board candidates in the district.

Campaign finance

California requires school board candidates who spend or receive more than $1,000 for their campaign to file a campaign finance report detailing their expenditures, loan repayments, contributions and loans received to their local county elections office.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the California state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of California ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. California Proposition 20, Lottery Funds for Instructional Materials Measure (March 2000)
2. California Proposition 203, School Bond Measure (March 1996)
3. California Proposition 47, School Construction Bond Measure (2002)
4. California Proposition 55, School and College Facilities Measure (March 2004)
5. California Proposition 1A, Public Education Facilities Bond Issue (1998)
6. California Proposition 227, Require English Instruction in Public Schools Initiative (June 1998)
7. California Proposition 98, Mandatory Education Spending Initiative (1988)
8. California Proposition 8, Class Size Reduction Funding and Teacher Qualifications Initiative (1998)
9. California Proposition 39, Decrease Supermajority from Two-Thirds to 55% for School Bonds Amendment (2000)
10. California Proposition 49, Increase Funding for Before and After School Programs Initiative (2002)
11. California Proposition 1D, Education Facility Repairs and Upgrades Bond Measure (2006)
12. California Proposition 76, Cap on Growth of State Budget Initiative (2005)
13. California Proposition 82, Free Half-Day Public Preschool Program Initiative (June 2006)
14. California Proposition 88, Statewide $50 Parcel Tax Initiative (2006)
15. California Proposition 143, Higher Education Facilities Bond Measure (1990)
16. California Proposition 146, School Facilities Bond Measure (1990)
17. California Proposition 121, Higher Education Facilities Bond Issue (June 1990)
18. California Proposition 123, Public School Construction Bond Issue (June 1990)
19. California Proposition 78, Higher Education Facilities Bond (1988)
20. California Proposition 79, Public Schools Bond (1988)
21. California Proposition 74, Changes to Public School Teacher Employment Initiative (2005)
22. California Proposition 53, Green-Hughes School Building Bond Measure (1986)
23. California Proposition 56, Public Higher Education Bond Measure (1986)
24. California Proposition 151, Childcare Facilities Bond Measure (1990)
25. California Proposition 152, Public School Construction and Improvements Bond Measure (June 1992)
26. California Proposition 153, Higher Education Construction and Improvements Bond Measure (June 1992)
27. California Proposition 85, Library Construction and Renovation Bond Measure (1988)
28. California Proposition 81, Local Libraries Bond (June 2006)
29. California Proposition 92, Funding and Governance Changes for Community Colleges Initiative (February 2008)
30. California Proposition 8, University of California Administration Amendment (1918)
31. California Proposition 26, School District Amendment (1922)
32. California Proposition 2, Schools Bond Measure (1956)
33. California Proposition 2, Schools for Physically or Mentally Handicapped Children Bond Measure (1958)
34. California Proposition 3, State Educational, Mental, and Correctional Institutions Bond Measure (1958)
35. California Proposition 2, Junior College Facilities Bond Measure (June 1968)
36. California Proposition 4, Terms of Office for Members of the State College System of California Amendment (1960)
37. California Proposition 1A, State College, Junior College University, and Healthcare Facilities Bond Measure (1962)
38. California Proposition 2, Facilities Bond Measure (1964)
39. California Proposition 3, Public School Buildings Bond Measure (1964)
40. California Proposition 2, Higher Education Facilities Bond Measure (1966)
41. California Proposition 4, Approval Percentage for Bond Issues About Schools and Libraries Amendment (1966)
42. California Proposition 3, School Facilities Bond Measure (1968)
43. California Proposition 8, Civil Service Exemption for Deputy Superintendents of Public Instruction Amendment (1970)
44. California Proposition 9, Boards of Education Amendment (1970)
45. California Proposition 5, Meetings of the Board of Regents Amendment (1970)
46. California Proposition 6, Investment of the Teachers' Retirement Fund Amendment (1970)
47. California Proposition 7, Speaker of the Assembly and the State College System Amendment (1970)
48. California Proposition 6, State Board of Education Amendment (1928)
49. California Proposition 9, School Tax Funding Initiative (1932)
50. California Proposition 4, Education Tax Exemption Amendment (June 1933)
51. California Proposition 3, Board of Examiners in Basic Sciences Initiative (1942)
52. California Proposition 9, Funds for Public Elementary Schools Initiative (1944)
53. California Proposition 3, School Pay and State Support Initiative (1946)
54. California Proposition 7, County Board of Education Amendment (1946)
55. California Proposition 8, Qualifications and Salaries of County Superintendents Amendment (1946)
56. California Proposition 9, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction and Associate Superintendents of Public Instruction Amendment (1946)
57. California Proposition 2, State Funding for Student Initiative (1952)
58. California Proposition 24, Loans and Grants for School Districts Bond Measure (1952)
59. California Proposition 2, School District Bond Measure (1954)
60. California Proposition 223, Performance Budgeting Requirements for School Districts Initiative (June 1998)
61. California Proposition 38, State Income Tax Increase for Education Funding Initiative (2012)
62. California Proposition 9, College Taxation Exemption Amendment (1952)
63. California Proposition 4, Public School Appropriations Amendment (1970)
64. California Proposition 3, Property Tax Exemption for Schools Referendum (1952)
65. California Proposition 6, Boards of Education Amendment (June 1970)
66. California Proposition 43, Educational Tax Exemption Amendment (1914)
67. California Proposition 5, Appointments to the Regents of the University of California Amendment (June 1972)
68. California Proposition 2, School Buildings, Equipment, and Housing Bond Measure (June 1960)
69. California Proposition 58, Non-English Languages Allowed in Public Education (2016)
70. California Public Schools, Amendment 8 (1908)
71. California Boards of Education, Amendment 24 (1908)
72. California Proposition 1B, Supplemental Education Appropriations Amendment (May 2009)
73. California Proposition 6, Ban on Lesbian and Gay Teachers Initiative (1978)
74. California Proposition 7, Right of Blind People to Become Chiropractors Measure (1950)
75. California Proposition 3, Bond Issues and Legislative Members of the State Allocation Board Amendment (June 1960)
76. California Proposition 24, Restrictions Based on a World Communist Movement Initiative (1962)
77. California Proposition 7, Investment of Public Pensions and Retirements Funds Amendment (1964)
78. California Proposition 10, Maintenance of Monetary Fund Amendment (1964)
79. California Proposition 174, School Voucher Program and Open Enrollment Initiative (1993)
80. California Proposition 5, School Districts Actions Amendment (1972)
81. California Proposition 170, Taxation and Bonds for Schools Amendment (1993)
82. California Proposition 26, Construction and Improvement of Public Schools Bond Measure (1984)
83. California Proposition 16, State Tuition Amendment (1974)
84. California Proposition 14, Members of the California State University and College System Amendment (1974)
85. California Proposition 2, School Improvements Bond Measure (June 1972)
86. California Proposition 4, University of California Competitive Bidding and Admission Amendment (1976)
87. California Proposition 1C, Public Colleges and Universities Facilities Bond Measure (June 1994)
88. California Proposition 4, City Boards of Education Amendment (June 1978)
89. California Proposition 94, Judges as Part-Time Teachers Amendment (1988)
90. California Proposition 1, Construction and Improvement of Public Schools Bond Measure (June 1978)
91. California Proposition 1, School Construction and Improvement Bond Measure (1982)
92. California Proposition 1, Public Schools Improvements Bond Measure (1974)
93. California Proposition 21, Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Imbalances in Schools Initiative (1972)
94. California Proposition 8, Count Superintendents of Schools Amendment (1976)
95. California Proposition 4, Public Community College Facilities Bond Measure (June 1976)
96. California Proposition 3, Postsecondary Education Commission Civil Service Exemption Amendment (1974)
97. California Proposition 1, Construction of Public Schools Bond Measure (June 1976)
98. California Proposition 1, Community College Facilities Bond Measure (1972)
99. California Proposition 155, School Construction and Improvement Bond Measure (1992)
100. California Proposition 75, Public School Construction and Improvements Bond Measure (June 1988)
101. California Proposition 1B, Construction and Improvement of Public Schools Bond Measure (June 1994)
102. California Proposition 4, Regents of the University of California Amendment (1974)
103. California Proposition 1, Desegregation Busing Court Orders Amendment (1979)
104. California Proposition 1, Educational Buildings Bond Measure (June 1962)
105. California Proposition 1, Public School Buildings Bond Measure (June 1966)
106. California Proposition 1, School District Bond Measure (1949)
107. California Proposition 1, University Health Science Buildings Bond Measure (June 1970)
108. California Proposition 10, Taking of Property for Schools and Airports Amendment (1958)
109. California Proposition 11, Secondary Educational Institution Taxation Exemption (1926)
110. California Proposition 11, State Board of Education Initiative (1934)
111. California Proposition 11, State Tenure Board Initiative (1936)
112. California Proposition 11, University of California Building Bonds Measure (1914)
113. California Proposition 12, State University Tax Amendment (1920)
114. California Proposition 13, Allocation of Funds to the Public School System Amendment (1946)
115. California Proposition 13, Non-Profit College Grounds Tax Exemption Amendment (1962)
116. California Proposition 13, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Amendment (1958)
117. California Proposition 13, School and College Facilities Bond (March 2020)
118. California Proposition 14, Public Libraries Bond Measure (March 2000)
119. California Proposition 14, Tax Exemption for College Buildings Under Construction Amendment (1954)
120. California Proposition 15, School Districts Amendment (1926)
121. California Proposition 15, Textbook Alterations Amendment (October 1911)
122. California Proposition 16, Repeal of the Educational Poll Tax Amendment (1946)
123. California Proposition 16, School System Initiative (1920)
124. California Proposition 17, Holy Bible in Public Schools Initiative (1926)
125. California Proposition 2, Public Education Facilities Bond Measure (2024)
126. California Require Ethnic Studies Class to Graduate from Public State Universities Initiative (2026)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms California education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in California - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in California
• California state budget and finances
• California Department of Education
• List of school districts in California
• School choice in California
• Charter schools in California
• California
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• California Department of Education
• California Education Laws and Regulations
• California Education Testing and Accountability
• California Education Curriculum and Instruction
• California School Finder

Additional reading

• The Los Angeles Times, "State schools chief says budget proposal harmful to students," July 7, 2009
• San Jose Mercury News, "State education leaders decry governor's proposal to suspend Proposition 98," July 7, 2009
• The Los Angeles Times, "Education secretary treads where teachers unions don't want to go," July 3, 2009
• The Los Angeles Times, "School levy failure highlights challenges for big districts," July 2, 2009
• San Jose Mercury News, "Number of school districts on brink of financial trouble, bankruptcy rises," July 1, 2009

Footnotes

Ballotpedia

About

Overview • What people are saying • Support Ballotpedia • Contact • Contribute • Job opportunities

---

Executive: Leslie Graves, Founder and CEO • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer

Communications: Alison Graves, Director of Communications • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Frank Festa • Sarah Groat • Nathaniel Harwood • Dillon Redmond
External Relations: Geoff Pallay, Director of External Relations • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Ashley Fleming • Thomas Mardik • Hannah Nelson
Operations: Meghann Olshefski, Director of Operations • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
Tech: Matt Latourelle, Director of Technology Operations • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez • Mary Susmitha

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

---

Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams. Managing Editor of Events • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Victoria Edwards • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Ellie Mikus • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Ethan Rice • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox