State Superintendent Thurmond Announces: California to Receive Nearly $1 Billion in Previously Impounded Federal Education Funds

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and the California Department of Education (CDE) today announced that the CDE has received confirmation that it will receive the entirety of the nearly $1billion in previously impounded federal education funds for the 2025–26 school year. This comes after weeks of delays caused by the Trump administration’s decision to withhold critical funding allocations to states across the nation.

“California schools have been waiting for these resources to serve students, and now nearly $1billion of illegally impounded federal education funds will finally reach our classrooms,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “The Trump administration’s delay created unacceptable uncertainty for our schools and harmed many of our most vulnerable students. However, we are moving swiftly to ensure these funds support students, educators, and school communities without further interruption.”

On July 25, 2025, the CDE received official Grant Award Notifications (GANs) for several key federal programs, signaling that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will begin releasing funds starting the week of July 28, 2025.

The CDE has now received GANs for the following formula-based funding sources, as well as an updated GAN for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant program.

• Title I-C, ESEA: Migrant Student Education
• Title II-A, ESEA: Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants
• Title II, WIOA: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act
• Title III-A, ESEA: English Language Acquisition
• Title IV-A, ESEA: Student Support and Academic Enrichment State Grants

With the release of these GANs, the CDE is moving quickly to draw down and distribute funds to local educational agencies (LEAs) across the state.

The release of these funds means California has been awarded the full allocation of federal education funding for the 2025–26 school year. These funds are critical for sustaining and expanding educational opportunities, especially for English learners, migrant students, adult learners, and those relying on community learning centers.

The CDE will continue working with California’s congressional delegation to ensure that future federal funding is secured in the fiscal year 2026 budget. For ongoing updates and a consolidated list of federal education actions in 2025, visit the CDE Responses to 2025 Federal Actions and Communications web page.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100