2023–24 California Statewide Assessment Results Show Overall Student Progress

Continued Gains Made by Students Across State; Accelerated Progress Made by Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students and in Multiple Districts Across California

SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) released assessment results today that show continued progress made by California’s K–12 students, including accelerated progress closing equity gaps for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, Black/African American students, and Hispanic/Latino students.

The results include data for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).

California’s statewide results are especially encouraging when considering the proportion of high-need students has also increased in California. Specifically, the proportion of students tested who are socioeconomically disadvantaged increased from 63 percent in 2023 to 65 percent in 2024—an increase of more than 60,000 students. The percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students meeting or exceeding standards rose 1.5 percentage points in English language arts/literacy (ELA), 2.1 percentage points in mathematics, and 1.4 percentage points in science.

Overall, the percentages of California students meeting or exceeding standards (demonstrating proficient or advanced grade-level knowledge and skills) in ELA, mathematics, and science increased, from 46.7 percent to 47.0 percent in ELA, from 34.6 percent to 35.5 percent in math, and from 30.2 percent to 30.7 percent in science.

• Grade six ELA has the largest increase in average scale score—a 3.4-point increase compared to 2022–23. Grade eight mathematics has the largest increase—a 6.2-point increase—in the average scale score compared to 2022–23. Mathematics scores across all grades increased compared to 2022–23.
• Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino students showed positive score trends in mathematics across all grades. Black/African American students in grade three had the highest increases compared to Black/African American students in other grades. Hispanic/Latino students in grade six saw the greatest improvement in ELA compared to Hispanic/Latino students in other grades.
• Mean scale scores for foster youth students increased in ELA at grades three, six, eight, and eleven, in mathematics at grades three, six, eight, and eleven, and in science at grade eight and high school, compared to the previous year.

The percentage of students reaching Overall Performance Level 4 for the Summative ELPAC decreased by less than two percentage points. An Overall Performance Level 4 is used as the first criteria in meeting the state’s reclassification requirements for English language proficiency. The ELPAC is administered to students in grades K–12 who have been identified as English learners to measure their progress toward English language proficiency in the four domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.

“I commend California’s students and educators for their hard work and continued growth in academic achievement across the state,” said State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. “We know the high potential of all California’s students, and we still have a ways to go to ensure that every child is supported to build strong academic skills and access a bright future. We are providing key resources for all schools to get there, including providing funding for reading coaches, high-dose tutoring programs, extended school days, and professional learning for educators.”

“Today’s results suggest that California’s public schools are making encouraging gains in all of the key subject areas, and these gains are largest for our most vulnerable groups of students,” said State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond. “Our Governor and the Legislature have, in recent years, prioritized forward-thinking investments in K–12 public education with a focus on accelerating learning and equity: community schools, expanded learning time, transitional kindergarten, and investments in literacy and math. Those efforts are paying dividends, and we need to ensure that these efforts to support learning recovery and whole child supports continue in the coming years.”

In many school districts across California, significant increases in student achievement tell a story about how forward momentum for academic achievement has been created following the COVID-19 pandemic and suggest a blueprint for how further acceleration of academic progress could occur statewide.

In Benicia Unified, the rate of students meeting or exceeding standard (demonstrating proficient or advanced grade-level knowledge and skills) in mathematics increased by 7.7 percentage points, which Superintendent Damon Wright credits the hard work of educators, staff, and students as supported by the funding of districtwide professional learning and an instructional coach in math to foster common use of equity-aligned strategies in mathematics classrooms. The district’s use of Educator Effectiveness dollars, as well as additional sources of state and local funds aligned through the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan, focused on building a sense of belonging at school for all students while also building students’ academic knowledge and skills.

In Compton Unified School District, the rate of students meeting or exceeding standard in ELA increased by 2.5 percentage points over the last year, while the rate of students meeting or exceeding standard increased by 2.9 percentage points in math and increased by 0.8 percentage points in science. Superintendent Darin Brawley attributes this increase in test scores across the board to the hard work of educators, staff, and students, as supported by in-class tutors for immediate intervention, expanded tutoring both during and after school, and professional learning for teachers on meeting students’ literacy needs. Compton Unified School District has shown steady and remarkable progress in both math and ELA, with CAASPP scores far exceeding the state average for school districts with a high unduplicated pupil count and English language learner population. Compton Unified is a recipient of California’s Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Grant, Community Schools Partnership Program, Educator Effectiveness Block Grant, Expanded Learning Opportunity Program, and Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant and funded local intervention strategies using a combination of state grants, ESSER dollars, and additional funding sources.

In Fallbrook Union Elementary School District, located in San Diego County, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in ELA increased by 5.2 percentage points over the past year, while the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in math rose by 5.9 percentage points. Superintendent Monika Hazel credits this progress to a strong shared vision of high expectations fostered by the entire school community. To support this vision, the district focused on creating safe, collaborative, and inclusive environments for students by investing in counselors, social workers, and behavior technicians at every school, initially utilizing Title I and one-time general fund dollars, and made sustainable moving forward through Community Schools funding. Moreover, the district emphasized effective teaching practices related to student engagement and academic rigor. This effort was bolstered by district-level math teaching specialists, leadership coaches, and site-level instructional coaches, all funded through Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant dollars, alongside other state and local resources. To further enhance student support, the district engaged in Professional Learning Communities, prioritizing the importance of knowing each student by name and need. This approach ensured that students had access to robust classroom instruction and intervention support within the school day and will be expanded through the use of Community Schools dollars. Additionally, a well-attended Expanded Learning Opportunity Program provided children with a safe after-school space and additional time for tutoring and enrichment during an extended school day.

At Los Angeles Unified, the rate of students meeting or exceeding standard in ELA increased by 1.9 percentage points over the prior year, while the rate of students meeting or exceeding standard rose by 2.3 percentage points in math and by 1.8 percentage points in science. In addition, students’ average scale score increased in every grade level and nearly every student demographic group for ELA and math. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho credits these increases to the hard work of educators, staff, and students as supported by investments in multi-tiered systems of support for learning, including high-dose tutoring funded by California’s Expanded Learning Opportunity Program and Title I dollars, interventionists funded by California’s Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists grant and Title I dollars, and multilingual, multicultural academic language coaches funded by Title III and general fund dollars.

In Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, the rate of students meeting or exceeding standard in ELA increased by 10.4 percentage points, math increased by 3.0 percentage points, and science increased by 6.5 percentage points over the last year. Superintendent Antonio Garcia credits this increase to the hard work of educators, staff, and students as supported by the funding of instructional coaches at every school site and instructional specialists in English language arts, mathematics, and English Language Development at the district level, as well as extended day and extended school year programs such as Saturday Academy and intersession classes through the Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant. Educator Effectiveness Block Grant funds enabled the district to invest in professional learning and educational technology to bolster student achievement during the pandemic; as those funds expire, the district has evaluated which programs most effectively accelerated student achievement and is dedicating continued local funding to these programs and strategies that have proven to create student success.

The CAASPP and ELPAC summary reports are available to the public on the Test Results for California’s Assessments website . Assessment results are only one measure and should be combined with other information such as report card grades, classroom assignments, and teacher observations to better understand student achievement and progress.

Smarter Balanced Assessments measure what students know and can do in relation to the grade-level content standards, and each student's score represents grade-level achievement along a continuum. For more information about Smarter Balanced Assessments, view the Smarter Balanced Assessments: What Do the Scores Mean? document. (PDF)

Educational partners who are interested in working with the CDE to improve student performance should email CAStudentPerformance@cde.ca.gov.

For more details about programs driving continued progress toward accelerated student achievement, see the State Superintendent’s Initiatives web page.

For any questions about Superintendent Thurmond’s initiatives, please reach out to Initiatives@cde.ca.gov. Members of the media are invited to reach out to communications@cde.ca.gov for response to any media inquiries.

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Long Descriptions of Graphs for Accessibility

Percent of Students by Achievement Level: 2023–24 ELA, Mathematics, and Science

Key

• Level 1: Inconsistent grade-level knowledge and skills
• Level 2: Foundational grade-level knowledge and skills
• Level 3: Proficient grade-level knowledge and skills
• Level 4: Advanced grade-level knowledge and skills

ELA

• Level 1: 31.2 percent
• Level 2: 21.8 percent
• Level 3: 26.0 percent
• Level 4: 21.0 percent

Note: For levels 2–4, grade-level performance with increased levels of accuracy and complexity.

Mathematics

• Level 1: 40.6 percent
• Level 2: 23.9 percent
• Level 3: 17.7 percent
• Level 4: 17.9 percent

Science

• Level 1: 15.5 percent
• Level 2: 53.9 percent
• Level 3: 20.8 percent
• Level 4: 9.9 percent

Year-Over-Year Change in Students Meeting or Exceeding Standards for ELA, Mathematics, and Science from 2022–23 and 2023–24 for All Students and Selected Student Groups

ELA

• All Students: 0.4 percentage points
• Black/African American Students: 0.5 percentage points
• Hispanic/Latino Students: 0.7 percentage points
• Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students: 1.5 percentage points

In the academic year 2022–23, the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standards for ELA was 46.7 percent, while Black/African American students were at 29.9 percent, Hispanic/Latino students at 36.1 percent, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students at 35.3 percent. By the 2023–24 academic year, these percentages increased to 47.0 percent for all students, 30.3 percent for Black/African American students, 36.8 percent for Hispanic/Latino students, and 36.8 percent for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. This represents a change of +0.4 percentage points for all students, +0.5 for Black/African American students, +0.7 for Hispanic/Latino students, and +1.5 for socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

Note: Percentages are rounded to the nearest tenth; “Change” is based on actual values.

Mathematics

• All Students: 0.9 percentage points
• Black/African American Students: 0.9 percentage points
• Hispanic/Latino Students: 1.0 percentage points
• Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students: 2.1 percentage points

In the 2022–23 academic year, 34.6 percent of all students meeting or exceeding standards for mathematics, while 16.9 percent of Black/African American students, 22.7 percent of Hispanic/Latino students, and 22.9 percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged students achieved the same. By 2023–24, these percentages increased to 35.5 percent for all students, 17.8 percent for Black/African American students, 23.7 percent for Hispanic/Latino students, and 25.0% percent for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. This represents a growth of +0.9 percentage points for all students, +0.9 for Black/African American students, +1.0 for Hispanic/Latino students, and +2.1 for socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

Science

• All Students: 0.5 percentage points
• Black/African American Students: 0.8 percentage points
• Hispanic/Latino Students: 0.7 percentage points
• Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students: 1.4 percentage points

In the 2022–23 academic year, 30.2 percent of all students meeting or exceeding standards for science, with 14.2 percent of Black/African American students, 18.9 percent of Hispanic/Latino students, and 19.3 percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged students doing the same. By 2023–24, these percentages increased to 30.7 percent for all students, 15.0 percent for Black/African American students, 19.6 percent for Hispanic/Latino students, and 20.7 percent for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. This shows an improvement of +0.5 percentage points for all students, +0.8 for Black/African American students, +0.7 for Hispanic/Latino students, and +1.4 for socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100