Los Angeles Unified School District reports growth in literacy and math through equity funding and classroom reforms

Two years after one of the most difficult periods in public education, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest in the United States, has recorded its highest-ever performance on California’s statewide tests, according to The 74. The improvement has been broad-based, cutting across grade levels and subjects, and is particularly significant because it includes some of the district’s most disadvantaged and historically low-performing schools.

School-level progress: 135th Elementary as a case in point

At 135th Elementary School, part of LAUSD, the transformation is both visible and measurable. Chronic absenteeism has declined from 17% in 2024 to 13% in 2025, while the share of students meeting state standards in English language arts has climbed from 25% to 37% in just two years. Math proficiency has also risen, from 26% to 34%, reflecting consistent growth in foundational learning outcomes.

The school’s improvements accompany tangible investments in learning environments such as new STEM labs, outdoor reading spaces, and afterschool enrichment programs that support engagement and attendance. These efforts mirror districtwide initiatives introduced under Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who was appointed in 2021.

Centralised leadership and consistent curricula

As The 74 reports, Carvalho’s administration has emphasized a centralized and data-driven approach to improving academic standards. The district has implemented a research-based literacy curriculum, trained more than 10,000 teachers in the science of reading, and expanded these methods to mathematics instruction.

Among the reforms are the i-Ready platform, which monitors individual student progress, and Illustrative Math, a structured curriculum designed to deepen conceptual understanding rather than rely on rote learning. Schools using Illustrative Math in pilot phases reported sharp improvements, with one example showing the percentage of 11th graders meeting expectations in math increasing from under 4% to 25% over two years.

Carvalho’s contract was unanimously renewed in 2025, a sign of the school board’s confidence in the district’s trajectory.

Equity investments and targeted programs

The 2025-26 LAUSD budget of $18.8 billion, according to The 74, directs additional funds to majority-Black schools, arts programs, and LGBTQ student support. A central pillar of this plan is the Black Student Achievement Plan, a $175 million initiative that provides additional counselors, field trips, and cultural programming. Data released by the district show that schools participating in this plan are now seeing slightly higher growth in reading and math than district averages.

Other equity-driven interventions include the continuation of the Primary Promise initiative, launched during the pandemic to support struggling readers, which has since evolved into the Literacy and Numeracy Intervention program. While the model has been adjusted for budget sustainability, schools that maintained small-group instruction and regular progress tracking, such as Panorama City Elementary, have reported double-digit gains in reading and math.

Enrollment shifts and class size dynamics

Over the past five years, LAUSD has lost approximately 80,000 students, a trend consistent with broader demographic shifts in California. Interestingly, The 74 notes that this decline has temporarily benefited classroom learning. Because the district has delayed major staff reductions, some schools now operate with smaller class sizes averaging under 20 students, creating opportunities for personalized instruction and stronger teacher-student relationships.

Research cited by the publication suggests that such enrollment declines can lead to short-term improvements in student performance, particularly when schools use the additional capacity to focus on individualized support.

Persistent gaps despite progress

While overall scores have risen across all racial groups, The 74 highlights that achievement disparities remain. Roughly 74% of Asian and two-thirds of white third-graders meet or exceed expectations in reading, compared to 37% of Latino and 31% of Black students. The district leadership has pledged to intensify targeted interventions to close these gaps.

There also remains a 30-percentage-point difference in performance between students from low-income families and their wealthier peers, a challenge that reflects both pre-existing inequities and the lingering effects of pandemic disruptions.

A shift from recovery to renewal

LAUSD’s results have surpassed both state averages and those of other large California districts, according to data cited by The 74. The improvement follows years of pandemic-related learning loss and a slow reopening process that particularly affected urban districts.

The district is now investing in high-dosage tutoring for 100,000 students most affected by learning loss, as well as expanded summer learning opportunities for up to 250,000 students. These interventions form part of a legal settlement following pandemic-era disputes over remote instruction time.

Outlook

The turnaround in LAUSD demonstrates that systemwide consistency, data-guided instruction, smaller classes, and equity-focused investment can drive measurable results even in large, diverse urban districts. While challenges such as enrollment decline, union negotiations, and persistent gaps remain, the district’s current trajectory, as detailed by The 74, suggests that sustained reform can yield tangible gains for students across economic and racial lines.

For schools like 135th Elementary, the changes are already visible in attendance, engagement, and performance, indicators that Los Angeles’ long-struggling public system may be moving from recovery to renewal.
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