Wave Staff and Wire Reports
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Andrés Chait 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 annual Opening of Schools Address at Garfield High School July 21, where LAUSD officials previewed the 2026-27 school year, which is set to begin Aug. 12.
The superintendent said the results continued a three-year trend of year-over-year growth across English language arts, mathematics and science.
They also reflected progress across student groups, including growth among historically underserved students who are narrowing achievement gaps.
Chait noted there was additional areas of progress in advanced placement course work, graduation rates, increased completion of A-G college work requirements, and improvements in early literacy among the district’s youngest students.
“These are collective accomplishments,” Chait said in his remarks. “They reflect the dedication, skill and commitment of our entire community.”
A central theme of Chait’s message was a renewed focus on the schoolhouse as the heart of community life and student opportunity.
“The schoolhouse is the daily rehearsal of what it means to live together,” Chait said. “It’s where children learn to sit next to someone different from them, to share supplies, to speak up, to fail and try again.”
He described the school experience as extending beyond academics to include belonging, connection, wellness, athletics, arts, and opportunities for students to discover their potential.
Chait also acknowledged district staff, administrators and educators for guiding schools through challenges such as the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, evolving student needs, concerns over the enforcement of immigration laws, declining enrollment and budget pressures.
“The challenges we are facing are system-wide,” Chait said. “They require us to work together as a group of people, as a unified school district, centered on a common purpose.”
District officials also discussed results of the annual School Experience Survey, which showed progress in how students, families and staff experience their schools. Students reported feeling safer, more supported and more connected to their school communities, officials said.
Students reported they had more opportunities to lead, participate and play an active role in shaping their school communities. Educators reported increased satisfaction and professional growth through targeted learning opportunities designed to support their practice and strengthen instruction.
Families continued to express confidence in the quality and effectiveness of their neighborhood schools, according to the survey.
With the new school year weeks away, Chait urged school leaders to remain focused on instruction and student experience.
“When the school bell rings, it calls not only students to class but a community to itself,” Chait said.
“Our responsibility is to lead with both challenge and progress in mind,” he added. “We will be disciplined. We will be strategic. And we will be clear about what matters most.”
