Kidsdata.org offers data on student demographics as numbers and percentages at the national, state, county, and school district levels:

• Total school enrollment overall and by race/ethnicity
• Students receiving special education services* overall, by primary disability, and by race/ethnicity
• High-need students—i.e., those who are eligible for free or reduced price school meals, are English Learners, or are foster youth—as reported in the Unduplicated Pupil Count
• Students eligible for free or reduced price school meals† (FRPM), along with students by FRPM eligibility status (eligible for free meals, eligible for reduced price meals, and not eligible)
• English Learners‡ (ELs), students by EL Status (Spanish-speaking ELs, ELs with a primary language other than Spanish, and non-ELs), and ELs by most common primary languages statewide
• Students eligible for the Migrant Education Program§

Student demographic trends are useful for projecting potential needs and planning school and community services. California's public school system is charged with serving an extremely large and diverse student body. The state has the largest public school population and the only minority white student body in the nation (1). Approximately 6 in 10 California students face socioeconomic challenges related to family income, homelessness, living in a migratory household, or involvement with the foster care system; nearly 1 in 5 have limited English language proficiency; and more than 1 in 8 have disabilities for which they receive special education services (2). Disadvantaged children typically need additional support to achieve their academic potential (1, 3, 5). For example, programs providing free or reduced price school meals, migrant education supports, and other services offer critical assistance to students in need.

The demographics of California's schoolchildren have changed in recent decades. In 1994, 37% of the state's 5.3 million K-12 students were Hispanic/Latino, 42% were white, and 9% were African American/black. In 2020, a majority (55%) the 6.1 million students served were Hispanic/Latino, 22% were white, and 5% were African American/black. Consistent with statewide child population trends over this period, Asian American and multiracial student representation increased, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander student representation remained relatively steady, and the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native students declined.

Nearly 800,000 California children and youth ages 0-22—13% of all students—received special education services in 2019. Autism, learning disabilities, and speech/language impairments were the most common primary disabilities among students in special education in 2019, accounting for nearly three-quarters (74%) of special education enrollment. Statewide and in all counties with data, the share of special education students receiving services for autism has grown since 2011. In 2019, 15% of special education students in California were enrolled for autism, up from 10% in 2011. Over the same period, the proportion enrolled for learning disabilities decreased from 41% to 38% and the percentage enrolled for speech/language impairments fell from 25% to 21%.

In 2019, high-needs students—i.e., those who are eligible for free or reduced price school meals, are English Learners, or are foster youth—made up 63% of K-12 students statewide. Across local areas with data, percentages ranged from 30% to 81% for counties and from less than 3% and to more than 99% for school districts.

More than 59% of California schoolchildren ages 5-17—over 3.5 million students—were eligible for free or reduced price school meals in 2020, up from 51% in 2007. Fewer than 500,000 students (8%) were eligible for reduced price meals, meaning their family incomes were between 130%-184% of their federal poverty guideline. By comparison, more than 3 million students (52%) were eligible for free meals, meaning either their family incomes were below 130% of their federal poverty guideline, they participated in the CalFresh or CalWORKS programs, they were eligible for the Migrant Education Program, they were homeless, or were foster youth.

In 2019, just over 47,000 California students were eligible for the Migrant Education Program (MEP), which provides educational and supportive services to students who have moved in the previous three years due to migratory work in the agricultural, dairy, lumber, or fishing industries. More than a quarter of students eligible for the MEP statewide lived in three Central Valley counties: Fresno, Kern and Tulare.

Students with limited English language proficiency—English Learners—accounted for 19% California's student body in 2020, down from 25% in 1998. Spanish consistently has been the most common primary language among English Learners statewide and in virtually all counties with data. Following Spanish, the state's most common primary languages among English Learners are Vietnamese and Mandarin.

California schools serve an increasingly diverse population of more than 6 million students, a majority of whom are socioeconomically disadvantaged (1). Many students also face challenges related to disabilities or chronic health conditions, limited English proficiency, and other issues (1). Academic achievement gaps by race/ethnicity, disability status, family financial resources, and English fluency have persisted for decades, statewide and nationally (2, 3, 4). In adulthood, these gaps translate to disparities in college completion, employment, and income (2). While significant state and federal education reform efforts have taken place in recent years, and some progress has been made in reducing these gaps, substantial inequities remain (3). Policymakers and educators have a role in addressing these disparities and ensuring that all students, whatever their social position or circumstance, have equitable opportunities for educational success.

Policy and program options to support disadvantaged students and promote educational equity include:

• Ensuring that all children have access to high-quality early childhood education and pre-kindergarten programs, which can help reduce disparities that begin before kindergarten, and lay the foundation for later achievement (2, 5)
• Creating a long-term funding solution for California's K-12 education system, and ensuring an equitable distribution of qualified teachers and other school staff (3, 5)
• Ensuring that the state's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan, Local Control Funding Formula, and new education standards are implemented effectively in every district and school (3, 4, 6)
• Promoting strategies with demonstrated effectiveness in serving diverse English Learner (EL) populations, including adequate training for teachers and professionals who serve ELs, increasing alignment across early childhood education and primary grade systems, and effectively engaging families of ELs (7, 8)
• Continuing to support schools and communities in creating safe, positive environments and developing comprehensive, evidence-based school systems to address students' physical, emotional, behavioral, and other needs (4, 5)
• Encouraging school discipline policies that are non-punitive, fair, and aim to keep students in school when possible (5, 9)
• Continuing to strengthen strategies in child care, education, home visiting, health care, and other settings to meet the needs of children with disabilities, including effective screening and referral processes for early intervention and special education services (9)
• Addressing inefficiencies in special education financing and delivery, improving coherence between special education and general education, and working toward funding and accountability systems that serve students with disabilities more effectively (3, 9)
• Maintaining and strengthening social safety net programs, including free and reduced price school meals, and increasing enrollment among eligible children; as part of this, continuing efforts to make it simpler and less stigmatizing for students and families to receive free or reduced price school breakfast and lunch (5, 10)
• Continuing to promote supportive policies toward immigrant and migratory families, recognizing the potential for federal action to negatively affect immigrant students and families (11)