More than 44% of California students are not considered ready for college or a career, according to recently released academic performance statistics. This figure reflects a broader trend, as one of the state's major school districts acknowledged it is falling well short of its own modest goals.

District Admits Falling Short of Readiness Targets

The California Department of Education released its 2026 performance metrics, which also indicated that a majority of California students struggle to read or perform math at grade level. Statewide, only 55% of students were considered ready for college or careers. This readiness is determined by a variety of indicators, including the completion of graduation requirements and technical education courses.

San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) had set a goal to boost its readiness numbers to 70% of graduates by June 2027. However, at a recent board meeting, the district admitted it would not reach this target. This year, only 59.2% of SFUSD's graduating cohort met the readiness benchmark. The district now has less than a year to achieve a goal it originally set in 2022, aiming to improve upon its 2020 readiness rate of 57.5%.

Superintendent Maria Su stated that the district is far from meeting its objective. "We have decided to rate our progress towards this goal as significantly off track," Su said. "The only reason why we are rating ourselves as significantly off track is because we’re not moving fast enough for our own target that we’ve assigned for ourselves."

Su noted that SFUSD, while slightly ahead of the state average, is moving in the "right direction." The state awarded the district a "green" rating for college and career readiness, an improvement from "yellow" the previous year. California assesses readiness through indicators such as meeting graduation requirements, completing accelerated coursework, statewide assessment scores, and grades in courses aligned with University of California standards. Career readiness can be demonstrated through work-based learning programs, pre-apprenticeship enrollment, military service, or vocational training.

Demographic Disparities and Unhoused Students

SFUSD's data revealed concerning trends, with only white and multiracial students showing improvement in college readiness. All other demographic groups experienced declines. On a more positive note, the percentage of unhoused students demonstrating college readiness saw a significant improvement of 11%.

A potential factor contributing to the district's struggle to meet its 70% goal is the insufficient number of students exiting "early warning indicator" status. This status identifies incoming high school students exhibiting signs of high truancy, chronic absenteeism, or low academic performance.

Education officials discussed various strategies, including curriculum changes, to address these challenges but ultimately agreed that the current goal is unattainable within the timeframe. "We need to adjust the target that we’re supposed to reach by 2028, because 70% is — we’re just not going to be able to reach that target within a year," Su told Board Commissioner Parag Gupta.

Reactions to Performance Data

Discussions are underway regarding whether to re-evaluate the metrics used for measuring readiness. Staff are expected to revise interim goals, and the board plans to begin revisiting the district's objectives in January. Democratic leaders have framed the recent academic metrics, including the 55% statewide readiness score (a 2% increase from last year), as progress. Governor Gavin Newsom stated, "At a time when California continues to focus on accelerating learning and closing opportunity gaps, these results provide important evidence that our sustained investments are making a difference."

However, critics have voiced concerns about persistent issues. Sonja Shaw, the Republican candidate for state superintendent, told The Post, "California families deserve answers, not another victory lap over marginal gains."