California doubles down on whole-child education with final wave of community school funding worth $618 million
Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said earlier this week that the State Board of Education has authorized the fourth and last part of community schools implementation grants, totaling more than $618 million. Building on a program now worth $4.1 billion, funding was set aside during resounding 5–0 vote to extend the community schools concept to an extra 458 campuses around California.
The California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) intends to remove obstacles preventing student success. The project aims to build environments where learning is supported by the surrounding community by combining academic education with health, mental health and social services.
“California continues to find and support innovative ways to make schools a place where every family and student can succeed. Today, we build on our nation-leading community schools program – more than 450 additional schools, offering everything from free meals twice a day to mental health counseling to before, after, and summer school programs to thousands more students,” Governor Newsom said.
Nearly 2,500 schools statewide will now run under the community schools umbrella with this step. These sites, designated as among the most needy in the state, work with county and nonprofit organizations to provide services from before- and after-school programs to summer enrichment.
“I am proud to see our Community Schools initiative continue to grow as the final cohort of grantees receive funds. These grants support our schools to address foundational needs for learning, making sure that our students are healthy and able to learn,” California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said.
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State Board President Linda Darling-Hammond added that well-resourced community schools “have proven to increase attendance, achievement and attainment for students, transforming their lives and improving the well-being of families, thus uplifting entire communities.” She underscored that when children feel safe and supported, their ability to learn and grow follows.
Distributed across 121 local educational agencies, the most recent funding round will be allocated to those responsible for organizing services on their campuses. The board authorized around $1.3 billion for almost 1,000 schools last year; earlier rounds in 2022–23 and 2021–22 funded $750.5 million and $625.5 million, respectively.
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Some early CCSPP model adopters have already reported positive outcomes. Improvements in math and English grades as well as a clear decline in chronic absenteeism have been led in Kern County’s Elk Hills Elementary School District by a concentration on five priority areas—early childhood, expanded learning, core academics, family involvement, and mental health.
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The Folsom Cordova Unified School District, on the other hand, attributes improved reading results for several student populations at Mills Middle School to their “Coordination of Services Teams” and enhanced staff retention. Buena Vista Horace Mann in San Francisco’s Mission District has used its award to employ an on-site therapist, start enrichment projects, and assist homeless families, all of which have significantly lowered absentee rates.
To see the complete list of this year’s grantees and other information on the California Community Schools Partnership Program, go to the community schools page of the California Department of Education.
