California students’ test scores continue to fall short of pre-pandemic results despite modest improvements and three years of growth, data released Thursday reveal.

Statewide, 49.2% of students met or exceeded grade-level standards in English, increasing by 0.46 percentage points, and 38.3% did so in math, a 0.85 percentage point increase. The number of students who met or exceeded grade-level standards in science increased 3.39 percentage points to 35.9%.

In the 2018-2019 school year, before COVID-19 emerged and officials shuttered California schools in response to the pandemic, 51.1% of students in the state met or exceeded grade-level standards in English and 39.7% did so in math. Nearly 30% of students met or exceeded grade-level standards in science — the only subject where students have improved scores since the pandemic.

Socioeconomically disadvantaged students showed modest gains this year, with a 0.87 percentage point increase in the number of students who met grade-level standards in English to 38.8% of students. In math, socioeconomically disadvantaged students saw a 1.4 percentage point increase to 27.4% of students meeting the standard and a 3.56 percentage point increase in science to 25.5% of students.

“Today’s results tell a story of continued progress, but also of the work that remains ahead,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, President of the California State Board of Education — the K-12 policy-making body for California’s public school system. “We are encouraged to see students making gains across all three major assessments and are especially encouraged by the progress of African American students, Hispanic or Latino students, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, and homeless youth. … Our responsibility now is to build on this momentum and ensure that progress reaches every student and every community.”

Educational advocates pointed out that while this year’s scores show continued progress, the equity gaps for low-income and minority students are still behind their White peers and the rate of improvement is far too slow.

“Today’s joint data release makes it plain that educational opportunity is still egregiously uneven in California,” said Rachel Ruffalo, Deputy Director of Strategic Advocacy at EdTrust-West, an educational advocacy organization. “Far too many students — especially students of color, multilingual learners, and students from low-income households — are still being denied what they deserve.”

The newly released state testing results come from the latest Smarter Balanced Assessments in English and math and the California Science Test, which students took in spring 2026. The assessments are computer-based, standardized tests used in several states, including California, to measure students’ understanding of content benchmarks in the three subjects.

This year is also the first year California released statewide assessment results with the annual California School Dashboard. The dashboard is widely considered the best snapshot of California schools’ graduation and suspension rates, academic performance, attendance data and student progress.

According to the 2026 California School Dashboard, graduation rates across the state remained nearly unchanged, with 88.1% of students finishing high school, compared to last year’s 87.8% of students. The percentage of students who were chronically absent declined 1 percentage point — on track with last year’s progress — to 16.1% of students considered chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of the school year.

According to the dashboard, the number of California students considered prepared for college or a career also increased from 51.7% last year to 55.2% this year.

The California Department of Education said the state’s test scores revealed students continued to make academic gains across all subjects, building on improvements in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also celebrated the results, crediting the state’s efforts to expand transitional kindergarten, additional literacy and math support, universal school meals and investments in the state’s $4 billion Community Schools Initiative, which aims to make schools a community hub for students’ academic, physical and mental health.

“The continued progress we are seeing is a testament to the hard work of students, families and educators across the state — and we will continue working to build on these gains,” Newsom said in a statement Thursday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.