Most California kids can’t read well or do basic math, damning new test scores show

By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-10-15 15:27:03 | Updated at 2026-10-16 08:30:26 17 hours ago

A majority of California students still can’t read or do math at grade level, with new standardized test scores showing little to no gains despite years of efforts to recover from pandemic-era learning losses.

Just 49.3% of students met or exceeded state English language arts standards in 2025-26, while only 38.4% reached proficiency in math, according to California’s latest test results released Thursday.

The scores are from tests administered in Spring 2026.

A young boy in a blue shirt sits at his desk, focused on writing in a notebook, while other high school students study in the background of a bright classroom.

Los Angeles Board of Education members listen to a parent speak during public comments at the LAUSD Headquarters.

The figures mark a 0.5 percentage-point increase in English scores and a 1.1-point gain in math from the previous school year, when 48.8% of students met English standards and 37.3% were proficient in math.

But California remains below its pre-pandemic performance, when 50.9% of students met English language arts standards and 39.7% achieved proficiency in math in 2018-19.