California’s 2025 School Dashboard shows steady gains in key academic and engagement indicators — but also underscores that African American students continue to face some of the state’s widest achievement gaps.

Released last week, the Dashboard reports improvement in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, graduation rates, and attendance as schools continue recovering from the pandemic.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said the results should motivate deeper support for students. “Seeing modest improvement on every Dashboard indicator should encourage us to deepen our investments in every child’s progress,” he said. “We must not rest until all students’ outcomes represent their brilliance and potential.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom echoed that message, calling the progress meaningful but incomplete. “These Dashboard results… show progress, [but] we know there’s more to do to take achievement to the next level,” he said.

African American students showed gains in both ELA and math, narrowing the distance from grade-level standards. They remain 51.3 points below standard in ELA and 95.8 points below in math — still far from proficiency but improving. Chronic absenteeism among African American students also fell to 29.8%, a significant decline from pandemic-era highs.

State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond said the findings reflect the impact of statewide efforts to reengage students. “We’re getting more students reengaged… graduating students in greater numbers and getting more of them prepared for college and careers,” she said.

Districts showing broad improvement include Culver City Unified, Dinuba Unified, Healdsburg Unified, and New Haven Unified, which strengthened instructional programs and expanded wellness supports.

But the California School Boards Association cautioned against overstating the gains. CEO Vernon M. Billy said the state must take greater accountability for accelerating progress. “Year after year, Sacramento measures the performance of LEAs but not its own,” Billy said, adding that closing gaps “is not just a challenge for school districts and county offices of education — it is a state-level obligation.”

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Article By: Bo Tefu, California Black Media