DataQuest Highlights

In July 2026, the California Department of Education (CDE) released two distinct datasets. The first is the 2024–25 Annual Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) Rates, which is accessible as a downloadable data file in the CDE Annual RFEP Data web page. The second are the 2025–26 Certificated Staff Reports released on DataQuest , which are comprised of four reports that detail information by race/ethnicity, education levels, years of experience, and student-to-certificated staff ratios.

To access further information about the above data, including key takeaways, resources, and highlights from previously released DataQuest reports, select the links below:

2024-25 Annual Reclassified Fluent English Proficient Rate
Certificated Staff Counts by Race/Ethnicity
Certificated Staff Education
Certificated Staff Experience
Student/Certificated Staff Ratios
Resources
Additional Highlights

2024–25 Annual Reclassified Fluent English Proficient Rate

The Annual RFEP Rates reflect the percentage of students who reclassified from English Learner (EL) status to Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) status at any time during the academic year (July 1 – June 30). All EL students are counted within the rate denominator at the school in which they were last enrolled as an EL, and all EL students who reclassified are counted within the rate numerator at the school in which the reclassification event occurred.

The Annual RFEP Rates downloadable data file contains EL student counts, RFEP counts, and annual RFEP rates with additional filters for charter type and Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS). Users can examine these data by overall statewide totals or by county, district, or school. Refer to the CDE Information about the Annual Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) Rates web page for definitions, calculations, resources, and other information to support the understanding of these data.

Overall key takeaways of the 2024–25 Annual RFEP Rates are provided below, including notable observations at the statewide and county levels, in addition to rates by school type. For a visual representation of how the RFEP rates are calculated, please refer to the concurrently released Annual Reclassified Fluent English Proficient Rates Flyer (PDF).

Key Takeaways

• Approximately 13.8 percent of EL students in California reclassified during the 2024–25 academic year.
• The overall RFEP rates for Non-DASS schools are close to the statewide rate, while the overall rates for DASS schools are markedly lower.
  • Charter, Non-DASS Schools is 14.1 percent
  • Non-Charter, Non-DASS Schools is 14.0 percent
  • Charter, DASS Schools is 7.4 percent
  • Non-Charter, DASS Schools is 5.9 percent
• For California counties with more than 100 EL students, those with the highest annual RFEP rates in 2024–25 include:
  • El Dorado (21.1 percent)
  • Los Angeles (17.8 percent)
  • San Benito (17.1 percent)
  • Yolo (16.4 percent)
  • Colusa (16.3 percent)
  • Placer (16.2 percent)
  • Kern (15.7 percent)
  • Fresno (15.6 percent)
  • Sonoma (14.8 percent)
  • Sutter (14.7 percent)

2025–26 Certificated Staff Reports

Certificated staff are defined as those who require credentialing for their position, including classroom-based teachers, administrators (superintendent, principal, vice principal), pupil services (counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, nurses), and non-instructional support staff (mentor teachers, teachers on special assignment). All the data are reflective of Census Day information, which are data collected from local educational agencies (LEAs) on the first Wednesday in October.

Each section below highlights key takeaways from the 2025–26 Certificated Staff Reports, focusing on the most important findings.

DataQuest users can explore the data at the statewide level or drill down by county, district, and school. The data are also filterable by staff type, school type, alternative school status, grade span, and gender. For a high-level overview and longitudinal analysis of certificated staff data, please refer to the concurrently released Certificated Staff Data Flyer (PDF).

Certificated Staff Counts by Race/Ethnicity

This report presents race and ethnicity distributions for certificated staff, including aggregate staff counts. Data are reported for the following race/ethnicity categories: African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Filipino, Hispanic or Latino, Pacific Islander, White, Two or More Races, and Not Reported. Reports are available on the CDE Staff and Course Data web page.

Key Takeaways

• Statewide, kindergarten through grade twelve (K–12) teacher counts increased by 1,232 in 2025–26, bringing the total teacher workforce to 287,358.
• The teacher workforce continues to reflect increasing demographic representation, as the number of Hispanic or Latino teachers grew by 3,383 to 78,357 in 2025–26.
• Administrator staffing levels remained relatively unchanged from the previous academic year, while pupil services staffing continued to expand, increasing by 1,030 personnel in 2025–26.

Certificated Staff Education

This report presents the highest degree attained by certificated staff, including the following degree categories: Associate, Baccalaureate, Baccalaureate Plus (bachelor's degree plus at least 30 semester units beyond the bachelor's degree), Master, Master Plus (master's degree plus at least 30 doctoral-level semester units), Doctorate, Special (Juris Doctor), and None. Reports are available on the CDE Staff and Course Data web page.

Key Takeaways

• Teacher educational attainment continued to increase, with the number of teachers holding Master’s and Master’s Plus degrees rising by a combined 2,909, while counts of teachers holding Baccalaureate and Baccalaureate Plus degrees declined slightly.

Certificated Staff Experience

This report details the experience levels of certificated staff such as:

• Experienced: Count of certificated staff who have more than two years of teaching experience.
• Inexperienced: Count of certificated staff who have two or less years of teaching experience.
  • First Year: Count of first year certificated staff.
  • Second Year: Count of second year certificated staff.

Reports can be viewed at the CDE Staff and Course Data web page.

Key Takeaways

• The teacher workforce became increasingly experienced in 2025–26, as the number of experienced teachers rose by 4,271 to 257,033, representing 89.5 percent of teachers.

Student/Certificated Staff Ratios

This report presents student-to-certificated staff ratios at the statewide, county, district, and school levels. Data include full-time equivalent (FTE) values, where 1.0 represents a full-time position and 0.5 represents a half-time position, for teachers, administrators, pupil services personnel, and non-instructional support staff. Student-to-staff ratios are calculated by dividing student enrollment by certificated staff FTE which represents the number of enrolled students per full-time equivalent staff member within each certificated staff category. Reports are available on the CDE Staff and Course Data web page.

Key Takeaways

• Continuing its decline, the student to teacher ratio improved by 0.4 to 20.4:1 in the 2025–26 academic year.
• Student-to-staff ratios continued to improve in 2025–26, with the student-to-administrator ratio decreasing to 201.4:1 and the student-to-pupil services ratio declining to 151.4:1.

Resources

Provided below are CDE web pages and communication links to the most up-to-date DataQuest topics:

• DataQuest Schedule: Provides an overview of upcoming DataQuest reports expected for release in the coming year.
• DataQuest Update: Informs users about released reports, new reports, downloadable data files, enhancements, changes to DataQuest, and tips on how to use DataQuest.

Additional Highlights

The DataQuest Highlights web page is continuously updated with the most recent publicly available DataQuest reports. Please select the link below to access the previous highlighted reports:

• 2025–26 Annual Enrollment Reports
• 2024–25 End-of-Year Reports
• 2024–25 Certificated Staff Reports
• 2024–25 Annual Enrollment Reports
• 2023–24 End-of-Year Reports