San Francisco (October 10, 2025) - The California Department of Education (CDE) has released the results of the 2024-45 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) for English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. In 2025 the San Francisco Unified School District’s (SFUSD) ELA and math proficiency rates continued to be higher than the state, which has been the case since 2016.
To improve academic excellence and build a stronger public education system, SFUSD has set targeted goals to improve student outcomes. Central to achieving SFUSD’s ambitious objective of increasing third-grade reading proficiency to 70% by October 2027 is the implementation of a research-based Language Arts core curriculum for grades PK-8, which the Board of Education adopted in 2024.
In addition, SFUSD has rolled out a new math curriculum for grades K-8 for the 2025-26 school year following years of study, research, and collaboration across schools, including input from educators, families, and community partners. This significant initiative supports the district’s mission to give all students a stronger foundation in mathematics in service of increasing the percentage of 8th grade students meeting grade-level expectations from 42% in 2022 to 65% by 2027.
Over 23,000 students were assessed in one or both content areas (ELA and Math) of the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) in the Spring 2025 in grades 3 through 8 and 11, marking the fourth year for testing since Spring 2019 (pre-pandemic). Students in grades 5, 8, 11, and 12 also participated in the California Science Test (CAST). The CAASPP was not administered in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SFUSD Overview: 2024-25 Performance & Change
- Overall, SFUSD student proficiency rates for SBAC ELA continued to be above 50% in English Language Arts (ELA), and remained relatively steady for the last several years (Figure 1). This trend holds true across most student groups.
- Overall, SFUSD student proficiency rates on the SBAC Math remained steady from 2021-22 to 2024-25 (46%), with similar trends seen across most student groups (Figure 2).
- ELA and Math student proficiency gaps continue to persist between Asian and White students as compared to African American, Latinx, and Pacific Islander students.
“While our rates are above the state average, we know that there is still important work ahead to ensure every student reaches their full potential,” SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Maria Su said. “With the adoption of new math and language arts curricula, SFUSD is moving in the right direction. This work is laying a strong foundation for student success, and we remain committed to continuous improvement for all learners.”
The San Francisco Board of Education and Superintendent Su are committed to improving student outcomes and the district has set three long-term goals for student outcomes: increasing the literacy of all 3rd grade students, increasing the math proficiency of all 8th grade students, and increasing the percentage of high school 12th graders who are college- and career-ready.
State Comparisons
- SFUSD’s ELA and Math proficiency rates continued to be higher than the State (Figure 3).
- Similar to the State and other large urban school districts, SFUSD’s post-pandemic math proficiency rates (2021-22 to 2024-25) continue to be lower than pre-pandemic results (2018-19 and prior years).
###
