California
State Governance
State Board of Education
California’s State Board of Education consists of ten members, each serving a four-year term. The board members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate. Additionally, there is a student member on the board who has full participation rights but only serves a one-year term.
California’s State Board of Education has authority over:
- Summative Assessments
- Content Standards Adoption
- Authorization of Charter Schools, Among Others
Governor
Chief State School Officer
Tony Thurmond
Elected by a nonpartisan ballot
State Context
State Demographics
Public Education Enrollment by Special Populations:
Free and Reduced Price Lunch: 57.3%
English Language Learners: 22.4%
Served by IDEA: 10.8%
2015 NAEP State Data
Reading scores for Grade 4 by state average, race/ethnicity and NSLP-eligibility compared to the national average:
Reading scores for Grade 4 by race/ethnicity between 2003 and 2015, additional national average data is included:
Mathematics scores for Grade 8 by state average, race/ethnicity and NSLP-eligibility compared to the national average:
Mathematics scores for Grade 8 by race/ethnicity between 2003 and 2015, additional national average data is included:
Science scores for Grade 8 by state average, race/ethnicity and NSLP-eligibility compared to the national average:
Graduation Rates
Adjusted cohort graduation rate between 2011 and 2015:
Charter Schools:
Year Charter School Law was Enacted: 1992
Number of Charter Schools in the 2014-15 Year: 1,184
Number of Students Served by Charter Schools in the 2014-15 Year: 544,980
Charter School Cap Law: The current cap on charter schools is 1,950 statewide, but the cap is raised by 100 schools each year.
ESSA Plan & Implementation
Learn about California’s ESSA plan.