From classrooms and college campuses to Sacramento, EdSource spent 2025 reporting on the issues shaping public education across California.
By Andrew Reed
EdSource
As we wrap up the year, we’re revisiting the stories that captured the most attention from our readers.
The following stories are presented chronologically, highlighting key developments in California education from January to December 2025.
January 6, 2025
The Social Security Fairness Act, signed by President Joe Biden on Sunday, will increase retirement benefits for many educators and other public sector workers, including nearly 290,000 in California.
January 10, 2025
Los Angeles Unified is just one of many districts across the county to close as fires surge.
March 3, 2025
Twice each year, school districts must verify their financial health. Seven districts face immediate peril, and 32 others put themselves on a warning list.
March 14, 2025
At least 2,000 credentialed school staff have received preliminary layoff notices before the March 15 state-mandated deadline, according to data from the California Teachers Association. Most of those holding pink slips are teachers.
April 17, 2025
While childhood vaccination rates in California remain higher than the rest of the country, 16 counties are now below the threshold for herd immunity to vaccines.
April 23, 2025
Educators and disability advocates in California are raising the alarm about federal cuts that are already affecting programs that support students with disabilities.
June 10, 2025
As news spread of immigration agents chasing and arresting day laborers at a Home Depot in the southeast Los Angeles city of Huntington Park Monday morning, families feared a graduation ceremony being held nearby at Huntington Park High School would be targeted as well.
June 13, 2025
Schools across California report that parents and students have been detained or deported. In the aftermath, teachers are trying to help.
July 1, 2025
President Donald Trump froze $6.2 billion in federal education grants — $811 million that was to go to California — the day before the money was scheduled to be released. Now districts are scrambling to fund programs before school reopens.
July 17, 2025
The state added 3,000 classroom teachers and a significant number of new administrators over a five-year period ending in 2023-24, according to CDE data released on Thursday.
July 18, 2025
The White House calls TRIO “a relic of the past” and questions its effectiveness. Backers insist the programs work.
August 29, 2025
Teachers and aides face new challenges as 4-year-olds not fully potty-trained enroll in transitional kindergarten.
September 10, 2025
The White House said it would cut $350 million that was budgeted for grant programs supporting Hispanic-Serving Institutions and other minority-serving colleges.
October 9, 2025
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved Assembly Bill 1454, which provides elementary school teachers with training in evidence-based reading instruction and includes $480 million in the 2025-26 budget to support literacy instruction.
October 30, 2025
The principal of Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton was fired after an investigation found sufficient evidence that he used the app to communicate with a former and current student about sex.
November 14, 2025
The Livingston Union School District outpaced California in pandemic recovery by investing in comprehensive school counseling.
December 3, 2025
Cal State Monterey Bay was among campuses with the largest graduation gains, while Chico State backslid on some metrics.
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