Schools continue to rebound, thanks to influx of funding: 2024 year in review

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California students continued to recover from the pandemic in 2024, with test scores inching upward, graduation rates improving and discipline rates falling. Perhaps most importantly, more students showed up for class. Chronic absenteeism soared in the wake of COVID-19-related school closures, peaking at 30% two years ago. But this year, that number dropped to 19% — still almost twice the pre-pandemic rate, but a vast improvement for schools that had struggled to lure students back to campus.   

Much of the improvements in student performance can be attributed to heavy investments from the state and federal government. California spent billions on tutoring, after-school programs, counselors, summer school and other programs meant to help students rebound academically and emotionally from the pandemic. 

“We’re getting students back to school, getting more of them prepared for college and careers, and graduating them in greater numbers,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the State Board of Education. “But it will be critically important to continue the forward-thinking initiatives and investments made in recent years so that they will continue to pay dividends in the coming years.”

One of the more significant investments was made through Proposition 28, which brings more than $1 billion annually to schools for arts education. After decades of cutbacks, arts education was once again in the spotlight last year, as schools rolled out theater programs, music and dance lessons, visual and media arts and other creative endeavors. 

But that might be one of the only funding sources that’s safe, as budget uncertainty looms. Pandemic relief grants expired in 2024, and schools are likely to see their revenues decline as enrollment shrinks in many parts of California. That could lead to a wave of school closures, especially in urban areas.

Schools got some good news in November when voters passed Proposition 2, a $10 billion bond for much-needed school repairs and upgrades. Although it favors wealthier districts over lower-income and rural districts, the money will be a lifeline for districts plagued with broken air conditioners, asbestos, lead pipes, unsafe electrical wiring and other hazards. 

2025 outlook

California schools will be adapting to political changes at the federal level, including the possible elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. If that happens, schools would likely see changes to special education, data collection, the ban on gender-based discrimination in schools and funding for low-income students. President-elect Donald Trump has also supported vouchers for parents to send their children to private schools, which has been unpopular in California but may surface as a national issue, along with attacks on so-called “woke” curriculum.

The rights of transgender students is also likely to be a flashpoint in 2025, as the Trump administration is expected to crack down on school districts that protect students who identify as a gender other than what they were assigned at birth. And if the federal government moves ahead with mass deportations, California schools could see major disruptions. An estimated 100,000 K-12 students in California are undocumented, and almost half of all students have at least one immigrant parent.