How California K-12 Public Education Works

The public education system in the most populous state in the union is huge, expensive and messy. But then, that's how democracy rolls in the Golden State.

PUBLISHED JAN 26, 2025 10:52 P.M.
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The first all-electric school bus in the state of California pausing outside the California Capitol building in Sacramento, way back in March, 2014.

The first all-electric school bus in the state of California pausing outside the California Capitol building in Sacramento, way back in March, 2014.   Theurv   CC BY 4.0

The state’s elementary and high school system is vast and complex. 

According to the California Department of Education’s “Fingertip Facts” for the 2023-2024 K-12 school year, 5,837,690 students in 1,019 districts attended 9,997 public schools where they were taught by more than 300,000 teachers. 

California’s public education system is established under Article IX of the California Constitution and is administered at the state, county and local level, with guidance and funding supplied by the federal government.  Under 1988’s Proposition 98, the state is required to reserve a minimum percentage of its annual budget on K-12 and higher education. This works out to between 52-55% of the general fund budget

Yes—more than half of your general fund tax dollars go to teaching California’s youth and young adults.

At every level of public education administration, elected and appointed officials are charged with making sure the system is run on a sound financial basis in compliance with the dense fabric of combined federal, state and local laws and regulations and educational policies.

 State Coordination

In its early days, public education in California was a cobbled together ad-hoc system spread across various and sundry state boards and departments. The state legislature passed a bill in 1921 consolidating this mess under the California Department of Education and State Board of Education, all under the direction of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Department of Education supervises the California public K-12 schools system with a mission to provide direction, assistance and resources ensuring that every Californian has access to a good education. It distributes funding, administers testing, and enforces accountability on local education agencies.

The State Board of Education is an 11-member body appointed by the governor of California. It establishes instructional, testing and assessment standards for K-12 public schools. It chooses textbooks for K-8 and adopts policies and regulations to implement state and federal legislation such as the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. The board is advised by a number of other boards and commissions on topics and issues such as charter schools, curriculum, special education and workforce pathways.

The State Superintendent of Public Instruction is a nonpartisan elected office with a four-year term mandated by Article IX the California Constitution. The Superintendent acts as the chief executive officer of the Department of Education and as the chair and president of the Board of Education. The Superintendent also serves on the boards of other public education agencies such as the California State Teachers Retirement System, University of California Regents and the California State College Board of Trustees.

County Offices of Education 

All 58 California counties have a County Office of Education (COE) led by a Superintendent of Schools. 

The County Superintendent of Schools is an elected nonpartisan position with a four-year term established under Article IX of the California Constitution. The Superintendent acts as the executive manager of the COE. They do not directly manage or supervise local school districts, but instead act as a liaison between local districts and the state.

The local County Office of Education (COE) supports local school districts and schools by providing educational resources, career development opportunities for educators, accountability for sound school and district fiscal practices as well as for student success.

The COE provides services not covered by local school districts. These include special education programs, adult education, alternative schools and special county-wide events such as math competitions, spelling bees and science fairs.

Local Districts and Boards

School Districts are government special districts formed by the region’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).  Each school district is administered by an elected board of trustees and a hired superintendent. 

School districts are independent of county governments and local municipalities but are overseen by the COE and are held responsible for operating in compliance with local, state and federal laws and education policies.

The local School District Board of Trustees is composed of elected members who reside in the district. The mission of the board is to set local education policies for the district, oversee the budget and planning process, maintain and build new school facilities as needed, and hire a district superintendent and principals for individual schools. 

The District Superintendent is hired by the trustees, usually on a multi-year contract basis. They act as the district’s chief executive, spokesperson and liaison with other entities, and offer direction for school principals.

Local Control and Accountability Plan

The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)  is mandated under California law and must be compiled, updated and submitted by the county, local school districts and charter schools as part of their budget process. It’s a three-year plan describing the goals and priorities of the submitting entity. District and charter school LCAPs are submitted to the COE for approval in a public review-and-comment process. The COE LCAP is submitted to the California Department of Education for approval.

Vast and Complex

The California K-12 public education system is indeed vast and complex. The multiple levels of organization aspire to ensure a number of distinct goals, including:

  • Equal distribution of resources across the system
  • Budget, planning and spending accountability
  • Public representation, review and comment
  • Local say in how, where and when the youth of the community are educated.

I use the verb “aspire” because humans and politics are involved and the process is messy and oftentimes frustrating. Unforeseen externalities intrude, such as outbreaks of disease of pandemic and extreme weather. 

But because it’s a democratic process, citizens can always become involved to make it better. 

Explainer

Long form articles which explain how something works, or provide context or background information about a current issue or topic.

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