Title III, Part A, Immigrant Students

Program Description

Title III, Part A, English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Immigrant Students, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Public Law 114–95) funds are apportioned to local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide supplementary programs and services to immigrant students.

Allocations and Apportionments

LEA Eligibility

To be eligible for Title III, Part A, Immigrant Student funding, an LEA must have at least five (5) eligible immigrant students and demonstrate growth of one-half of one percent (0.5 percent) or more in eligible immigrant student enrollment in 2025 compared with the average eligible immigrant student enrollment in 2024 and 2023. Eligible immigrant student counts for FY 2026–27 are based on data reported through the October 2025 California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) collection. For new and significantly expanded charter schools, eligible immigrant student counts are based on the October 2026 CALPADS collection.

LEA Allocations

The California Department of Education (CDE) adjusts LEA allocations during the first seven months of the grant award period to account for updated student data and changes in federal grant awards. The allocation process is as follows:

• Preliminary allocations are calculated based on prior year student data for continuing LEAs only.
• Revised allocations are calculated to incorporate estimated student enrollment and poverty data for new and significantly expanding charter schools and reflect any revisions from the United States Department of Education (ED) to the grant award.
• Final allocations are calculated following the close of the application window for the ESSA LEA Plan requirement. LEA Estimates of student enrollment and poverty data are replaced by current year California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) student enrollment and poverty data for new and expanding charter schools. Additionally, LEAs that do not meet the ESSA LEA Plan requirement forfeit their eligibility amount. Funds forfeited by LEAs that fail to meet the ESSA LEA Plan requirement are redistributed to eligible LEAs that have met the ESSA LEA Plan requirement.

ESSA LEA Plan Requirement

To receive an allocation an LEA must comply with the ESSA LEA Plan requirement by:

• Submitting the Consolidated Application (ConApp) in the Consolidated Application and Reporting System (CARS) and certifying the FY 2026–27 Application for Funding page by December 15, 2026.
  • The certified ConApp must be eligible for State Board of Education (SBE) approval. LEAs with unresolved long-term federal program monitoring (FPM) issues are not eligible for SBE approval.
  • LEAs that do not resolve long-term outstanding FPM issues by October 23, 2026, in time for submission to the November SBE meeting, will forfeit their eligibility amount.
• Submitting an approved Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Federal Addendum by December 15, 2026.

Quarterly Apportionments

In compliance with federal cash management requirements, the CDE apportions funds to LEAs on a quarterly basis following each federal Cash Management Data Collection (CMDC) report for a total of ten apportionments.

To receive an apportionment each quarter, LEA must report their cash balance in CMDC during an open reporting period and meet federal cash management thresholds. The CDE strongly recommends LEAs report their cash balance in CMDC every quarter.

LEAs with an allocation that report a cash balance through CMDC that is less than 25% of their allocation will receive an apportionment. Each quarterly apportionment equals 25 percent of the allocation minus the cash balance reported in CMDC for each respective quarter, minus any funds apportioned in the same quarter from the balance of any preceding fiscal year funds that have not yet expired.

• Example: If a cash balance of -$250 is submitted for an LEA with an allocation of $500, the calculated apportionment will be 25% of $500 + $250 = $125 + $250 = $375.

An LEA is subject to a maximum apportionment equal to 25 percent of the award allocation in the first apportionment of each fiscal year.

More details on the CMDC, including quarterly windows and reporting deadlines, are posted on the Federal Cash Management web page.

For standardized account code structure coding, use Resource Code 4201, ESEA (ESSA): Title III, Part A, Immigrant Student Program, and Revenue Object Code 8290, All Other Federal Revenue.

Grant Award Identification

The ED grant award number for this funding is T365A260005. The Assistance Listing Number is 84.365A (English Language Acquisition Grants). The funding is appropriated in Schedule (3) of Item 6100-125-0890 of the Budget Act of 2026 (Assembly Bill 109, Chapter 19 Statutes of 2026). The California sub-allocation (pass-through) number is program cost account (PCA) 15146.

Applicable Rules and Regulations

This grant is subject to the provisions of Title III and Title VIII, as applicable, of the ESEA of 1965, as amended by the ESSA, and the General Education Provisions Act (Public Law 103-382). This grant is also subject to the Education Department General Administrative Regulations in Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (34 CFR) parts 76, 77, 81, and 82, 2 CFR 3485, and the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR Parts 200 as revised at 89 Federal Register (FR) 30136-30208 (April 22, 2024).

Grant Award Period and Special Rules

Under the federal Tydings Amendment, Section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions Act, 20 U.S.C 1225(B), any funds that are not obligated at the end of the federal funding period, July 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, shall remain available for obligation for an additional period of 12 months, through September 30, 2028.

Pursuant to 2 CFR, Section 200.305(b)(12), interest earned up to $500 per year may be retained by the non-Federal entity for administrative expense. Any additional interest earned on Federal funds deposited in interest-bearing accounts must be remitted annually. LEAs should forward interest payments for remittance to the ED to:

California Department of Education
Cashier’s Office
P.O. Box 515006
Sacramento, CA 95851

To ensure proper posting of payments, please indicate the program’s PCA number (PCA 15146), and identify the payment as “Federal Interest Returned.”

LEAs have the option to consolidate and use Title III, Part A, Immigrant Student funds with other federal, state, and local funds for schoolwide programs pursuant to Section 1114 of the ESSA and Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 200, Subpart A, sections 200.25 through 200.29.

Additional information such as program purposes, eligibility of schools, core elements, components, and benefits of a schoolwide program, is posted on the Title I Schoolwide Program web page.

Contacts

Program Questions: Geoffrey Ndirangu, Education Programs Consultant, Language Policy and Leadership Office, email: Gndirang@cde.ca.gov, phone: 916-323-5831

Fiscal Questions: Geoffrey Ndirangu, Education Programs Consultant, Language Policy and Leadership Office, email: Gndirang@cde.ca.gov, phone: 916-323-5831