Sacramento, Calif., April 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new analysis from the Collaborative for Student Success finds a troubling disconnect in California between rising high school graduation rates and how well students are prepared for college-level math and careers—a phenomenon the Collaborative has coined the “Graduation Gap.”
While more students in California are earning high school diplomas, far fewer are demonstrating proficiency in math aligned to college and career readiness expectations, raising questions about whether a diploma truly signals readiness for what comes next.
The findings in California mirror a national trend identified through a 50-state scan conducted by Chad Aldeman with the Collaborative for Student Success. Across the country, graduation rates have steadily increased, while math achievement—particularly at the high school level—has stagnated or declined. That disconnect has real consequences: colleges and universities, public and private, are seeing more students placed into remedial math courses. As a result, students may leave high school with diplomas in hand but discover they are unprepared for college coursework, workforce training, or apprenticeships that require foundational math skills.
“When you put graduation rates side‑by‑side with math proficiency, the pattern is hard to ignore,” said Aldeman. “States are awarding more diplomas, but the math results suggest many students aren’t leaving high school with the skills those diplomas are meant to represent. The goal isn’t to criticize success—it’s to make sure it’s real.”
Key Findings for California*
- The California Grad Gap: A difference of 56 percentage points between students earning diplomas and those demonstrating math readiness.
- Graduation rate: 86% of students in California graduate from high school within four years.
- Math proficiency rate: Only 30% of students meet the state’s expectations in math on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).
- How math proficiency is measured in California: Percent of 11th grade students who met the standard or above.
- Workforce Implications: California is home to the nation's largest tech workforce — nearly 1.5 million workers — yet CompTIA estimates there are roughly 280,000 unfilled tech roles with approximately 18,000 jobs added annually. With only 30% of 11th graders meeting math standards, the state risks a growing mismatch between diploma production and the pipeline those employers need.
*This data reflects the most recent publicly available state-reported results as of February 2026, primarily from the 2024-25 school year.
“There’s no question that it’s a good thing for more students to graduate from high school,” said Jim Cowen, Executive Director of the Collaborative for Student Success. “But a diploma should mean something. When students cross the graduation stage without the math skills they need for college or a career, we’re setting them up for frustration—and in many cases, failure. Closing the graduation gap means being honest about readiness and aligning expectations with student outcomes.”
Research conducted by the Collaborative also finds that:
- The disconnect between graduation and achievement is larger in math than in English language arts.
- Students from low-income backgrounds and historically underserved groups often experience the widest graduation gaps.
- Differences in state testing systems and proficiency cut scores can mask underlying readiness challenges.
To bolster math achievement and ensure all students graduate with the skills they need to succeed in career and meet California’s workforce needs, the Collaborative for Student Success recommends six policy levers:
- Expand access to high-quality instructional materials.
- Provide educators with high-quality professional learning aligned with classroom materials.
- Increase instructional time before, during, and after the school day.
- Automatically enroll students in advanced math courses when they’re ready.
- Hold teacher preparation programs accountable for equipping teachers with the math skills, content, and mindsets needed to succeed.
- Leverage math coaches to help teachers improve classroom practice.
About the Collaborative for Student Success
At our core, we believe leaders at all levels have a role to play in ensuring success for K-12 students. From ensuring schools and teachers are equipped with the best materials to spotlighting the innovative and bold ways federal recovery dollars are being used to drive needed changes, the Collaborative for Student Success aims to inform and amplify policies making a difference for students and families. To recover from the most disruptive event in the history of American public schools, states and districts are leveraging unprecedented resources to make sure classrooms are safe for learning, providing students and teachers with the high-quality instructional materials they deserve, and are rethinking how best to measure learning so supports are targeted where they’re needed most.
