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  • Press Release
  • October 9, 2025
  • Oakland, CA

EdTrust-West Responds to Release of 2025 CAASPP Results

Significant Equity Gaps Remain Despite Incremental Progress

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact

Dan Lijana, (510) 879-6202
[email protected]

OAKLAND, CA — Dr. Christopher J. Nellum, executive director of EdTrust-West, issued the following statement in response to the release of the 2025 results of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP):
“These scores are headed in the right direction — at the wrong pace. California has the tools to close equity gaps, but we’re not using them boldly enough. After several years of stagnant scores, this year’s results are an important step, but we need double-digit gains, not a few percentage points.

Our state’s students of color, multilingual learners, and low-income students deserve more than they’re getting— and the data lay bare these injustices. These gaps are not just persistent, they’re unacceptable. To accelerate gains for students of color and our state, we need major policy shifts — not just program tweaks. In the wake of the federal government’s retreat from education, the state’s role in supporting students is more important than ever. California has a responsibility and an opportunity to lead.”

California must:

  • Strengthen the Local Control
  • Funding Formula (LCFF) to drive equity as it was intended
  • Fully fund initiatives such as the Commission on Black Education Transformation.
  • Invest in diverse teachers, culturally affirming transitional kindergarten programs, and high-quality math and literacy materials that reflect the brilliance of our students.
  • Preserve students’ civil rights, especially immigrant students under attack from the federal government.
  • Equitably expand college access opportunities like dual enrollment programs and financial aid application support.

Among the key results of the 2025 CAASPP:
This year’s CAASPP results show proficiency rates that are finally beginning to return to pre-COVID levels, but still leave glaring, unacceptable equity gaps between Native American, Black, and Latinx students and their white and Asian peers.

  • Schools supported only 33% of Black students to meet or exceed grade-level standards in English Language Arts (ELA), and only 20% of Black students were at or above grade level in math, representing a two percentage point increase in the share of students demonstrating proficiency in both subjects.
  • Only a third of Native American students (34%) were at or above grade level in ELA, representing a one percentage point increase over the prior year. Just over 23% were at or above grade level in math, the same share as the prior year.
  • Only 39% of Latinx students were supported to meet or exceed standards in ELA, and 26% in math, a two percentage point increase over the prior year’s rate in both subjects.
  • Schools supported only 40% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students to meet or exceed standards in ELA, representing a two percentage point increase over the prior year. In math, the percentage of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students meeting or exceeding standards also increased by 2 percentage points to 27%.
  • A total of 74% of Asian students met or exceeded standards in ELA, and 70% did so in math, representing no substantive change from the prior year in both subjects.
  • Over a million TK-12 students in California’s public schools are English Learners. The percent of English Learners at or above grade level in ELA remained just over 10%. The percentage of English Learners supported to meet or exceed grade-level standards in math increased incrementally to 11%.
  • The percentage of long-term English learners (LTEL) at or above grade level in ELA was just over 5%. Just over 3% of LTELs were supported to meet or exceed grade-level math standards, a one percentage point increase over the prior year’s rate.
  • Low-income students experienced slight increases in both ELA and math. The percentage of low-income students meeting or exceeding grade-level ELA standards increased marginally from 37% in 2023-24 to 38% in 2024-25. In math, low-income students at grade level increased from 25% to 26%.
About EdTrust-West

EdTrust-West is an evidence-driven advocacy organization committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in California’s education system. For over two decades, EdTrust-West has worked to improve racial equity in education by engaging diverse communities and increasing political and public will to build an education system where students of color and multilingual learners will thrive. For more information, see www.edtrustwest.org.