The Los Angeles
Schools
New LAUSD Superintendent Andrés Chait touts academic progress in annual address
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Andrés Chait Tuesday announced that preliminary state testing results showed that students were on track for record-setting academic achievement for a second consecutive year. Chait made the announcement during the district’s ann...
UC San Diego illegally uses race in admissions, Trump Justice Department alleges
The Trump Justice Department alleges UC San Diego's medical school illegally used race in admissions, discriminating against white and Asian applicants....
The best and worst school systems ranked state by state
A new report evaluates how well school systems across the nation support their students, highlighting the significant role parents play in choosing the right school for academic success....
Pamela Smart, serving life, seeks a new trial as a New Hampshire judge weighs her latest petition
Lawyers for Pamela Smart, who's serving life in prison for orchestrating the murder of her husband by her teenage student in 1990, hope that a judge will allow her latest petition for a new trial to move forward....
A wave of student loan borrowers have entered default since pandemic-era protections lapsed
Defaults on student loans have surged across the United States, reaching record levels as borrowers struggle to keep up with payments
LAUSD special ed classes were meant to be smaller this fall. Teachers are worried it won’t happen
A special education class at Redwood Heights Elementary School in Oakland.(Alison Yin / EdSource)Los Angeles Unified special education teachers and parents are bracing for another year of large classes when the new school year begins, despite a first-ever limit the union negotia...
A record number of student loan borrowers have entered default. Here's why
Defaults on student loans have surged across the United States, reaching record levels as borrowers struggle to keep up with payments. The numbers have spiked since payments came due again following a lengthy pause intended to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today...
Protests and lawsuits: Activists climb pine amid showdown over Pasadena school district's tree removals
Activists climb a 100-foot pine tree at Muir High School to protest a controversial Pasadena Unified School District plan to cut down nearly 200 trees....
US imposes 4-year cap on student visas
The Department of Homeland Security has eliminated the long-standing "duration of status" rule, implementing a fixed four-year limit on international student and exchange visas....
SoCal Parents and Students: Where to find Back to School resources
SoCal Parents and Students looking for Back to School resources to gear up for the upcoming school year.
Retired teacher who went missing in Mojave Desert off-roading area is found dead
Julie Goforth, 63, of Long Beach was found dead in a remote area of the Mojave Desert six days after she went missing while riding her dirt bike in the El Mirage Dry Lake Off Highway Recreation Area near Adelanto, authorities said....
Best planners in 2026 for students and teachers to organize the new school year
Get ready for the 2026 school year with these planners for elementary school, high school, college and for teachers.
Murder charges in Compton student's July 4 death
A Los Angeles man is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on murder and other charges stemming from a Fourth of July shooting that left a 19-year-old college student dead and two female teenagers injured in Compton....
New rule caps foreign student visas at four years, jolting California campuses
A new Trump administration rule limits international student visas to four years, forcing students who need more time to seek federal extensions. California faces a big impact, with 140,000 international students....
'Jeopardy!' champion Caleb Groen from Thousand Oaks, California tops $300,000 after 10 wins
Caleb Groen from Thousand Oaks, California has won 10 straight games on "Jeopardy!" and more than $300,000. The Harvard Law School student will try for win No. 11 next....
LA County officials say LAUSD is at risk of insolvency. Now what?
The Los Angeles County Office of Education has asked LAUSD to revise its budget by mid-August. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)L.A. County Office of Education’s letter to Los Angeles Unified School District earlier this month, warning it was at risk of running ou...
Site of groundbreaking Black private school in LA closer to becoming historic cultural monument
A Mary Clay School classroom in 1961-62. Teacher Woody Brown is instructing students in phonics, reading and handwriting.If you drive too quickly along West Adams Boulevard, west of 9th Avenue, you’ll likely miss the former home of the Mary Clay School, a two-story building that ...
Dorm room essentials under $50: Top picks for back to school 2026
Back to school 2026: Save big on dorm essentials for $50 or less
Trump administration launches crackdown on teacher sexual misconduct
The Trump administration has launched a national crackdown on how school districts handle accusations of sexual misconduct by teachers, following a KQED-ProPublica investigation into California’s teacher disciplinary system.In guidance issued last week, Secretary of Education Lin...
California allocates dedicated funding to identify homeless students
Nearly 300,000 students in California were identified as experiencing homelessness in 2024-25, according to state data.(Laure Andrillon / CalMatters)California’s latest budget includes $116 million over three years to help schools identify and support students experiencing home...
Mahmoud Khalil files suit alleging a 'public-private' conspiracy to target Israel's critics
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is suing the federal government and several private groups, alleging they were part of a conspiracy to suppress criticism of Israel through a coordinated campaign to dox, jail and ultimately deport student activists....
2026's must-have backpacks for kids, teens, and college students
Level up back-to-school style with these 2026 backpack picks.
FX releases trailer for Ryan Murphy's latest series, 'The Shards'
Ryan Murphy's new series, "The Shards" explores the privileged world of an elite prep school in Los Angeles in the 1980s. See the trailer now and watch the first two episodes Aug. 5 on FX and Hulu....
These high schoolers show how 'majors' are not just for college students
Linked Learning Alliance has gathered findings from its fifth annual survey, contributing a student perspective to its career-centered high school education framework....
That Air Jordan tent in Inglewood is going to become a permanent school event space, official says
The Jordan Brand tent went up in Inglewood for NBA All-Star Weekend earlier this year. It's going to become a permanent fixture for school district events, according to officials.(Isaiah Murtaugh / The LA Local)This story first appeared on The LA Local.The Jordan Brand tent that ...
Cal State program to go beyond the basic, providing holistic support for students
Students walk outside of King Hall at Cal State LA in 2024.(Brian Feinzimer / LAist)Ten years ago, the California State University system launched a program to address food insecurity and provide housing support after research found around 1 in 4 students was going hungry.Since i...
Want to make a documentary film? This local community college is making it more accessible
Glendale Community College students can now learn about documentary filmmaking in Baja California. A study abroad option in Japan is currently in the works. (Jerry Henry / Courtesy Jerry Henry)Joel Ruano was raised by his grandparents in Lamont, a community made up of about 14,00...
Family members identify 15-year-old boy killed in El Monte stabbing
Family members identified the teenager who was killed in a stabbing that also wounded two others in El Monte earlier this week. They told NBC Los Angeles on Sunday that 15-year-old Aziel Zacapala was a promising student and athlete at Rosemead High School. The stabbing was ...
Long Beach pulls out of after-school program after decades; over 80 employees at risk of layoffs
In this file photo from 2018, parents walk their kids to Edison Elementary School on the first day of school in Long Beach.(Thomas R Cordova)The Long Beach Unified School District is looking for a new operator to handle a major after-school program following the city of Long Beac...
Pasadena school district and city clash over tree removal
Protesters gathered at John Muir High School this week to urge the school district to reevaluate their tree removal plan.(Sammy Marvin)Parents, students and arborists gathered at John Muir High School in Pasadena this week to fight plans to cut down almost 200 trees across the Pa...
LA County officials say LAUSD risks insolvency at current spending levels
The Los Angeles County Office of Education letter asks LAUSD to revise the recently adopted budget by mid-August. (Mariana Dale / LAist)L.A. County education officials have warned Los Angeles Unified leaders that the district is at risk of financial insolvency — and the loss of l...
Trump administration seeks to limit federal funding that doesn't 'advance' presidential policies
Proposed in late May, the rule would give political appointees unprecedented control over federal grants for research, education and infrastructure.
In bed 23 at Adelanto ICE detention center, a terrified son misses his mom
Wilber Urbina Garcia was detained by ICE a day after his high school graduation. He spent the next 16 days in detention, anxious over his future in the country and his mother's well-being....
LAUSD faces potential insolvency as officials warn district could run out of money within year
The Los Angeles Unified School District could run out of money within about a year and is showing severe signs of financial distress, according to county education authorities....
Newsom highlights major education investments as CA budget increases funding for schools statewide
California's newly signed state budget includes major investments in public education.
Newsom’s final budget sends more than $1 billion to University of California, Cal State
Students walk on campus at Cal State Long Beach.(Brian Feinzimer / LAist)California’s public colleges and universities emerged as winners in the latest state budget after lawmakers sent them hundreds of millions of dollars in new public spending. However, that largesse was temper...
Piano Vibes makes music lessons accessible to all
A music school at Project Row Houses is striking a chord in the community through free and reduced-cost lessons.
NorCal school district scrambles to keep team name after state bans racist mascots
The Marysville Joint Unified School District is seeking support of local tribal support to keep its 'Indians' mascot. So far, tribal groups are staying out of the fight....
The longest ever state school takeover is ending as Inglewood steps toward local control
The countdown begins for Inglewood to regain control of local public schools after California's longest-ever takeover — first by the state, then by the county....
Flight school pilot jumps to his death midair, leaving student to land plane
A pilot jumped out of the door of a moving plane to his death, leaving the student he was teaching to fly to land the aircraft by herself.
Under a new federal rule, colleges must leave grads better off or lose financial aid
(Tara Anand for NPR) This month, the U.S. Department of Education began rolling out a new accountability test that most colleges and universities will soon have to pass. The test itself is simple: If an undergraduate program's graduates don't earn more than workers who never wen...
‘This is just Rosebud’: A displaced Altadena school holds biggest fundraiser yet to rebuild
Shawn Brown, the founder and executive director of the Pasadena Rosebud Academy, is leading plans to rebuild the charter school.(Josie Huang / LAist)Sometimes 8-year-old London Cook can convince herself the temporary digs for her elementary school are her old campus, the place wh...
UC weighs return of SAT amid early signs of changing views and faculty pressure
Six years after dropping the SAT and ACT, the University of California is weighing a return to standardized testing following intense pressure from faculty who say incoming students lack basic math and reasoning skills....
1.5 million borrowers were promised student loan relief. A new lawsuit wants proof it happened
A new lawsuit alleges the U.S. Department of Education may not be discharging certain federal student loans as previously promised.
Memorial held for nursing student killed at Fourth of July block party in Compton
Dozens of balloons were released on the Manhattan Beach Pier Wednesday for 19-year-old Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, one of the two people killed at a Fourth of July celebration in Compton. Bordenave-Jenkins, a nursing student entering her sophomore year at the University of Nevada,...
17-year-old faces 8 charges after wild e-motorcycle chase through Ventura's Buena High
A 17-year-old faces eight charges, including two felonies, after a reckless e-motorcycle pursuit through Ventura streets and the Buena High School campus....
128 foster youth recognized by LA County for reaching high school graduation milestone
Los Angeles County honored 128 foster youth at Walt Disney Concert Hall for achieving a milestone that statistics show is often difficult to reach: graduating from high school....
Justin Bieber joins World Cup final halftime show featuring Madonna, Shakira and BTS
Justin Bieber will bring his swag to the World Cup’s star-studded, Super Bowl-style halftime show, joining fellow headliners Madonna, Shakira and BTS, FIFA announced Wednesday. Afrobeats star Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus — a choir of elem...
Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles prepares for historic cross-country tour
What began with just nine Los Angeles students has grown into an orchestra preparing for its biggest move yet - a nationwide tour!
LAUSD's housing program offers affordable apartments to district employees
Nearly two dozens of people who work for the Los Angeles Unified School District have a rare opportunity that other Angelenos would envy: living near their workplace without breaking the bank. Thanks to the district’s workforce housing development program, some 20 LAUSD worker...
Abortion pills could come to California community college health centers
Mifepristone tablets on a table at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Iowa on July 18, 2024. A proposed California bill would require community colleges with health centers to provide access to abortion pills. (Charlie Neibergall / AP Photo)Community college students in California co...
LA receives $10.1 million from Bezos Earth Fund for Watts Towers park
Los Angeles will receive a $10.1 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund for development of a five-acre park and arts and culture campus at the site of the Watts Towers, the organization announced....
Activist, nursing student shot, killed in Compton
Eric Washington, a former aide to California State Assembly Member Mike Gibson, and nursing student Meah Jenkins were shot and killed at a July 4 block party in Compton....
Peacemaker slain in Fourth of July shooting: 'Bravery cost him his own life'
Three people were killed in separate shootings in Compton, including a former aide for a California lawmaker and a university student.
California could start testing kindergarteners in math
Numbers are everywhere in kindergarten, but are all students learning the math concepts?(Connecticut Public Broadcasting / Getty Images)California could begin testing students as early as kindergarten in math.Proponents of Senate Bill 1067, including state Sen. Akilah Weber Piers...