Public education in California

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K-12 education in California

Education facts

State superintendent: Tony Thurmond

Number of students: 6,299,451

Number of teachers: 266,255

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:24

Number of school districts: 977

Number of schools: 10,315

Graduation rate: 80.4%

Per-pupil spending: $9,220

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: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given are the most recent as of June 2015, with school years noted in the text or footnotes.

The California public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013 California had 6,299,451 students enrolled in a total of 10,315 schools in 1,181 school districts. There were 266,255 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 24 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 386 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average California spent $9,220 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 36th highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 80.4 percent in 2013.

HIGHLIGHTS

Although California's public education system has, perhaps unsurprisingly, the largest amount of students, schools, revenues and expenditures, the state's per pupil spending falls below the national average.

Common Core

Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The California State Board of Education adopted the standards on August 2, 2010. Full implementation was set to be achieved in the 2014-2015 academic year. However, the California Board of Education voted unanimously to suspend the Academic Performance Index, a system in California that measures schools on a statewide level, for the 2014-2015 school year. California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said the Common Core-based tests were too different from previous state tests and needed more time to be implemented. As a result, student test scores would only be recorded at school and district levels.

Over 100 universities in California report that they use Common Core test results to determine class placement for incoming stuents as of April 2015.

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	Administrator to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
California	10,315	1,181	6,299,451	266,255	1:23.7	1:385.4	$9,220
Arizona	2,267	666	1,089,384	48,866	1:22.3	1:436.2	$7,208
Nevada	664	18	445,707	20,695	1:21.5	1:441.7	$8,339
Oregon	1,251	220	587,564	26,410	1:22.2	1:389.2	$9,543
United States	98,454	18,093	49,771,118	3,109,101	1:16	1:294.1	$10,700
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2013. Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 2 - Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher, and pupil teacher ratio, by state: School year 2012–13" United States Census, "Public Education Finances: 2012"

Note: In comparing dollar amounts across the states, it is important to note that the cost of living can from state to state and within a state. The amounts given on this page have not been adjusted to reflect these differences. For more information on "regional price disparities" and the Consumer Price Index, see the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Schools by type

See also: Number of schools by school type in the United States

Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.

The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in California and nearby states. Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.

In California, there were 8,786 regular schools as of 2013. Alternative schools were the second most prevalent type of school in the state, with 1,293 schools classified as such.

Number of schools by type, 2012-2013
State	Total schools	Regular	Special education	Vocational	Alternative	Charter	Magnet	Title I
California	10,315	8,786	149	87	1,293	1,085	421	7,155
Arizona	2,267	1,955	22	225	65	542	19	1,794
Nevada	664	599	12	1	52	40	37	171
Oregon	1,251	1,211	2	0	38	123	†	574
United States	98,454	89,031	2,034	1,403	5,986	6,079	3,151	68,140
† Not applicable. Some states/jurisdictions do not have charter school authorization and some states/jurisdictions do not designate magnet schools. ‡ Reporting standards were not met due to data that were missing for more than 20 percent of schools in the state or jurisdiction. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," SY 2012–13 Provisional Version 1a

Demographics

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in California as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.

During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.

In California, the majority of students were Hispanic. Hispanic students totaled 3,281,066, which was about 52.7 percent of the student population in the state. There were 1,589,297 white students, the second largest racial/ethnic student group in the state, which was 25.5 percent of the total student population in California.

Public education enrollment by race/ethnicity, 2012-2013
State	Pop. category	Am. Indian /Alaska Nat.	Asian	Black	Hawaiian /Pac. Islander	Hispanic	White	Two or more races
California	Number	40,641	691,712	394,562	33,975	3,281,066	1,589,297	193,838
	Percentage	0.65%	11.11%	6.34%	0.55%	52.71%	25.53%	3.11%
Arizona	Number	53,388	30,455	57,348	2,977	471,424	452,811	20,981
	Percentage	4.9%	2.8%	5.26%	0.27%	43.27%	41.57%	1.93%
Nevada	Number	4,979	25,250	43,364	5,746	178,167	163,930	24,271
	Percentage	1.12%	5.67%	9.73%	1.29%	39.97%	36.78%	5.45%
Oregon	Number	9,917	22,827	14,630	3,866	129,076	378,737	28,511
	Percentage	1.69%	3.89%	2.49%	0.66%	21.97%	64.46%	4.85%
United States	Number	533,098	2,363,484	7,798,560	179,935	12,064,310	25,366,857	1,390,514
	Percentage**	1.07%	4.76%	15.69%	0.36%	24.28%	51.04%	2.80%
**Note: This is the percentage of all students in the United States that are reported to be of this ethnicity. Source: United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey, 2012-2013"

Enrollments by region type

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns, while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.

A plurality of students in California attended suburban schools during the 2012-2013 school year. Approximately 89 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 11 percent who attended rural or town schools.

Student distribution by region type, 2012-2013 (as percents)
State	City schools	Suburban schools	Town schools	Rural schools
California	42.6%	46.2%	5.7%	5.5%
Arizona	49.4%	30.8%	10.5%	9.3%
Nevada	48.8%	37%	7.5%	6.7%
Oregon	34.6%	27.2%	24.1%	14.1%
U.S. averages	30%	39.8%	11.5%	18.7%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey, SY 2012–13 Provisional Version 1a"

Academic performance

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, or "strongest," which was in the first of five tiers.

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.

Taxpayer-funded 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, "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 "parent trigger" education reform bill into 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, 2021

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.

2021 California School Board Elections
District	Primary	General Election	General Runoff Election	Regular term length	Seats up for election	Total board seats	2016-17 enrollment
Moreno Valley Unified School District	N/A	11/2/2021	N/A	4	1	5	33,408
San Dieguito Union High School District	N/A	11/2/2021	N/A	4	1	5	12,951

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 $12 Billion Education Bond Measure (2022)
2. California $15 Billion Education Bond Measure (2022)
3. California Boards of Education, Amendment 24 (1908)
4. California Environmental and Sustainability Education Initiative (2022)
5. California Free School Text-Books, Proposition 1 (1912)
6. California Period of Use of Textbooks, Proposition 15 (October 1911)
7. California Proposition 1, Bonds for Community Colleges (1972)
8. California Proposition 1, Bonds for Public Education (1974)
9. California Proposition 1, Bonds for Public Schools (June 1962)
10. California Proposition 1, Bonds for Public Schools (June 1966)
11. California Proposition 1, Bonds for Public Schools (June 1976)
12. California Proposition 1, Bonds for Schools (1949)
13. California Proposition 1, Bonds for University of California Health Sciences Facilities (June 1970)
14. California Proposition 1, Desegregation Busing Court Orders Amendment (1979)
15. California Proposition 1, School Construction Bonds (1982)
16. California Proposition 1, State School Aid Bond Law (June 1978)
17. California Proposition 1, Superintendent of Public Instruction (1968)
18. California Proposition 10, Eminent Domain for Airports and Schools (1958)
19. California Proposition 11, Abolish Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (1934)
20. California Proposition 11, State Tenure Board (1936)
21. California Proposition 121, Higher Education Facilities Bond Issue (June 1990)
22. California Proposition 123, Public School Construction Bond Issue (June 1990)
23. California Proposition 13, Allocation of Public School Funds (1946)
24. California Proposition 13, Appointment of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (1958)
25. California Proposition 13, Nonprofit College Tax Exemptions (1962)
26. California Proposition 13, School and College Facilities Bond (March 2020)
27. California Proposition 14, Board of State College System (1974)
28. California Proposition 14, Public Libraries Bond Measure (March 2000)
29. California Proposition 14, Tax Exemption for Higher Education Non-Profits (1954)
30. California Proposition 143, Higher Education Facilities Bond Measure (1990)
31. California Proposition 146, School Facilities Bond Measure (1990)
32. California Proposition 15, Tax Exemption for Charitable and Educational Non-Profits (1954)
33. California Proposition 15, Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties for Education and Local Government Funding Initiative (2020)
34. California Proposition 151, Childcare Facilities Bond Measure (1990)
35. California Proposition 152, Public School Construction and Improvements Bond Measure (June 1992)
36. California Proposition 153, Higher Education Construction and Improvements Bond Measure (June 1992)
37. California Proposition 155, Bonds for Elementary Schools (1992)
38. California Proposition 16, Repeal of the Educational Poll Tax (1946)
39. California Proposition 16, Tuition at State Colleges Determined by State Legislature (1974)
40. California Proposition 170, Simple Majority Vote Needed to Approve School Bonds (1993)
41. California Proposition 174, School Vouchers (1993)
42. California Proposition 1A, Bonds for Higher Education (1962)
43. California Proposition 1A, Public Education Facilities Bond Issue (1998)
44. California Proposition 1B, School Facilities Bond Act (1994)
45. California Proposition 1B, Supplemental Education Appropriations Amendment (May 2009)
46. California Proposition 1C, Higher Education Facilities Bond Act (1994)
47. California Proposition 1D, Education Facility Repairs and Upgrades Bond Measure (2006)
48. California Proposition 2, Bonds for Health Science Facilities (1972)
49. California Proposition 2, Bonds for Higher Education (1966)
50. California Proposition 2, Bonds for Junior Colleges (June 1968)
51. California Proposition 2, Bonds for Public Education (June 1972)
52. California Proposition 2, Bonds for Public School Construction (1954)
53. California Proposition 2, Bonds for School Districts (June 1960)
54. California Proposition 2, Bonds for School Facilities for Handicapped Students (1958)
55. California Proposition 2, Bonds for Schools for Handicapped Students (1956)
56. California Proposition 2, Bonds for State Colleges (1964)
57. California Proposition 2, Per Pupil Subsidies to Public School Districts (1952)
58. California Proposition 20, Lottery Funds for Instructional Materials Measure (March 2000)
59. California Proposition 203, School Bond Measure (March 1996)
60. California Proposition 21, Prohibition on Mandatory School Busing (1972)
61. California Proposition 223, Performance Budgeting Requirements for School Districts Initiative (June 1998)
62. California Proposition 227, Require English Instruction in Public Schools Initiative (June 1998)
63. California Proposition 24, Bonds for Public Schools (1952)
64. California Proposition 26, Bonds for Public School Construction (1984)
65. California Proposition 3, Bonds for Correctional and Educational Facilities (1958)
66. California Proposition 3, Bonds for Educational, Mental and Correctional Institutions (1956)
67. California Proposition 3, Bonds for Public School Construction (1964)
68. California Proposition 3, Bonds for State Colleges (1968)
69. California Proposition 3, Civil Service Exemption for Postsecondary Education Commission (1974)
70. California Proposition 3, Minimum Salary for Teachers (1946)
71. California Proposition 3, Property Tax Exemptions for Private Non-Profit Schools (1952)
72. California Proposition 3, the "Basic Science" Initiative (1942)
73. California Proposition 38, State Income Tax Increase for Education Funding Initiative (2012)
74. California Proposition 39, Decrease Supermajority from Two-Thirds to 55% for School Bonds Amendment (2000)
75. California Proposition 4, 60% Supermajority to Approve School and Library Bonds (1966)
76. California Proposition 4, Bonds for Community College Facilities (June 1976)
77. California Proposition 4, Length of Term for Overseers of State College System (1960)
78. California Proposition 4, Public School Appropriations in Event of Delayed Budget (1970)
79. California Proposition 4, Tax Exemption for Educational Non-Profits (1933)
80. California Proposition 4, University of California Regents (1974)
81. California Proposition 47, School Construction Bond Measure (2002)
82. California Proposition 49, Increase Funding for Before and After School Programs Initiative (2002)
83. California Proposition 4 (1976)
84. California Proposition 5, Appointments to the University of California Board of Regents (June 1972)
85. California Proposition 5, Programs Offered by Public Schools (1972)
86. California Proposition 5, Public Meetings of the Board of Regents (1970)
87. California Proposition 51, Public School Facility Bonds (2016)
88. California Proposition 53, Green-Hughes School Building Bond Measure (1986)
89. California Proposition 55, School and College Facilities Measure (March 2004)
90. California Proposition 56, Public Higher Education Bond Measure (1986)
91. California Proposition 58, Non-English Languages Allowed in Public Education (2016)
92. California Proposition 6, Investment Rules for the Teachers' Retirement Fund (1970)
93. California Proposition 6, Selection of State and County Boards of Education (June 1970)
94. California Proposition 6, State Board of Education (1928)
95. California Proposition 7, Civil Services Exemptions for Postsecondary Education Commission (June 1974)
96. California Proposition 7, County Boards of Education (1946)
97. California Proposition 7, Roles of Speaker of the Assembly (1970)
98. California Proposition 74, Changes to Public School Teacher Employment Initiative (2005)
99. California Proposition 75, Bonds for Public Schools (June 1988)
100. California Proposition 76, Cap on Growth of State Budget Initiative (2005)
101. California Proposition 78, Higher Education Facilities Bond (1988)
102. California Proposition 79, Public Schools Bond (1988)
103. California Proposition 8, Class Size Reduction Funding and Teacher Qualifications Initiative (1998)
104. California Proposition 8, County Superintendents of Schools (1946)
105. California Proposition 8, County Superintendents of Schools (1976)
106. California Proposition 8, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction (1970)
107. California Proposition 8, Sources of Revenue for Public Schools (June 1970)
108. California Proposition 81, Local Libraries Bond (June 2006)
109. California Proposition 82, Free Half-Day Public Preschool Program Initiative (June 2006)
110. California Proposition 85, Bonds for Libraries (1988)
111. California Proposition 88, Statewide $50 Parcel Tax Initiative (2006)
112. California Proposition 9, County Superintendents of Schools (1970)
113. California Proposition 9, Funds for Elementary Schools (1944)
114. California Proposition 9, State Income and Sales Taxes for Public Education (1932)
115. California Proposition 9, State Superintendents of Public Instruction (1946)
116. California Proposition 9, Tax Exemption for Higher Education Facilities Under Construction (1952)
117. California Proposition 9, Textbook Loan Program (1982)
118. California Proposition 92, Funding and Governance Changes for Community Colleges Initiative (February 2008)
119. California Proposition 94, Judges Allowed to be Part-Time Teachers (1988)
120. California Proposition 98, Mandatory Education Spending (1988)
121. California Public Schools, Amendment 8 (1908)
122. California Religion in Schools, Proposition 17 (1926)
123. California School Districts, Proposition 15 (1926)
124. California School Districts, Proposition 26 (1922)
125. California School System, Proposition 16 (1920)
126. California School Tax Exemptions, Proposition 11 (1926)
127. California State University Tax, Proposition 12 (1920)
128. California Tax Exemptions for Educational Institutions, Proposition 43 (1914)
129. California University of California Administration, Proposition 8 (1918)
130. California University of California Building Bonds, Proposition 11 (1914)

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