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Education

About

California strives to educate millions of students with varying geographic, ethnic and income backgrounds. We cover how the state is setting priorities and spending public money to meet them.

Editor's Picks
Students on campus at the University of California, Davis in Davis on Feb. 2, 2022. Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters He spent decades researching dementia. Trump’s DEI purge killed his grant, and dozens more
A basketball player wearing a green Cal Poly uniform holds an orange Wilson EVO basketball, appearing ready to make a play. Their stance is focused, with eyes locked on a teammate reaching out for a pass. Another player in the background holds a basketball, while a coach or observer in dark clothing watches with arms crossed. The green bleachers of the gymnasium serve as the backdrop, and a blurred motion of a teammate's arm is visible in the foreground. College athletes can now make millions off sponsorship deals. Here’s the first look at California’s numbers
A view of two silhouettes of students walking through a dark hallway of a school with light shining through a doorway at the end of the hallway. One silhouette holds a lunch box and a water bottle in one hand. ‘Afraid to go to school’: Immigrant families in the Salinas Valley are gripped by fear

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Meet the Team
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Denise Zapata
Deputy Editor
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Adam Echelman
Higher Education/Workforce Reporter
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Carolyn Jones
K-12 Education Reporter
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Tara García Mathewson
Education Reporter
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Mikhail Zinshteyn
Higher Education Reporter
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Jennifer Burger
College Journalism Network Editor
Two elderly people, sitting in front of a desk, complete a worksheet assignment inside a classroom at a school campus. Other students can be seen in the background.
Higher Education
Why a new Trump policy could expel thousands of adult students from classes
The U.S. Department of Education says adult students without legal status are now banned from certain courses. Teens at public K-12 districts could see changes too.
By Adam Echelman • July 28, 2025
Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon at the dais on May 31, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters
K-12 Education
As Trump takes on education, candidates line up for state’s top schools job
The next superintendent will need to respond to President Donald Trump’s funding cuts and policy shifts, including the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and increased immigration enforcement.
By Carolyn Jones • July 28, 2025
Students line up to enter their classrooms at Keyes Elementary School in Keyes on Nov. 15, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
Education
California schools regain federal money they counted on after Trump releases hold
After withholding roughly $900 million from California’s K-12 and adult schools, the U.S. Education Department said today that it will release the money starting next week. But schools must agree to certain conditions first.
By Adam Echelman • July 25, 2025
Several students sit and stand along a curved stone bench near a staircase on a college campus, looking at their phones or resting quietly. A bed of yellow flowers lines the upper edge of the stone wall behind them. The mood is calm and reflective under overcast skies.
Higher Education
Cal State is still in the red despite tuition increase and spending cuts
Cal State’s budget gap is now $2.3 billion. It's not likely to get any help from the state, which is struggling with its own deficit.
By Mikhail Zinshteyn • July 24, 2025
A group of young children sit in a canoe and paddle down a stream on a river in the middle of a sunny day. Down the river in the background is a group of more children paddling in their canoes.
K-12 Education
Their families keep California farms running. Trump cuts just stripped a ‘lifeline’ from them
Migrant Education programs serve students whose parents work in California’s agricultural fields, dairies, fisheries and timberlands.
By Carolyn Jones • July 23, 2025
A group of students walks and chats in a shaded outdoor corridor between school buildings. Some are looking at papers or phones, while others carry backpacks and wear casual clothing. Sunlight filters through the space, casting shadows along the walkway. The atmosphere is lively and social.
Education
Trump administration releases after school grant money — with a catch
Trump withheld about $7 billion in education funds for various school programs nationwide, including about $800 million for California.
By Carolyn Jones • July 21, 2025
FAFSA fact sheets at College Information Day at UC Berkeley in Berkeley on Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Juliana Yamada for CalMatters
Education
Why these families are willing to risk deportation for college financial aid
Despite fears the federal government will use personal information from financial aid applications to identify immigrant parents who lack legal status, the number of high school senior applicants from mixed-status families has not decreased as much as some thought it would, according to the California Student Aid Commission.
By Mercy Sosa • July 21, 2025
The backs of people wearing grey shirts with the AmeriCorp logo on it as they stand and raise their right hands up during a swearing-in ceremony.
K-12 Education
‘Like having a hand cut off’: California schools reeling after AmeriCorps cuts
Trump cut AmeriCorps, laying off over 5,600 of California’s public service workers. Because of a lawsuit, the state’s program can restart, at least temporarily, but schools and disaster relief sites are still reeling from staffing shortages.
By Adam Echelman and Carolyn Jones • July 18, 2025
Students walk along the bridge leading into campus on Scholars Lane at the University of California Merced campus on Nov. 4, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
Higher Education
Debt-free at a tech job: How the powerful UC system lands students at Apple and Google
So that the UC could better develop its academic programs to prepare students for the changing workforce, the UC created a new data tool to show where tens of thousands of alumni work in California and the skills those employers seek.
By Mikhail Zinshteyn • July 17, 2025
Two students sit at a round classroom table focused on writing. One is writing on white paper while the other holds a bright orange sheet with notes. A bottle of water and an energy drink sit on the table. A whiteboard with faint writing and a canister of cleaning spray are visible in the background.
Higher Education
It’s not just about cheating. How AI is quietly eroding college students’ networks
Chatbots may give students quick answers when they have questions, but they won’t help students form relationships that matter for college and life success.
By Tara García Mathewson • July 16, 2025

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