Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)

The LCAP is a tool for local educational agencies to set goals, plan actions, and leverage resources to meet those goals to improve student outcomes. This page provides resources to support the planning, implementation and evaluation of an LCAP.

Use the following link to access the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) web page related to the fiscal information for LCFF.

Use the following link to access the Tuesdays @ 2 Webinar Series web page. This web page includes links to webinars that provide training to support LEAs in the LCAP annual update and development process.

Use the following links to access the Crosswalk of LCFF and Title I, Part A Planning Requirements for the 2024–25 School Year or Crosswalk of LCFF and Title I, Part A Planning Requirements for the 2025–26 School Year web page.

LCAP Overview | State Board Adopted Templates | Electronic Template | LCFF State Priorities | Other Planning Templates | Frequently Asked Questions | Resources | Regulations | County Office of Education, School District & Charter School LCAPs | LCFF and Uniform Complaint Procedures | Email Updates | Contact Information

LCAP Overview

The LCAP is a three-year plan that describes the goals, actions, services, and expenditures to support positive student outcomes that address state and local priorities. The LCAP provides an opportunity for local educational agencies (LEAs: county office of education [COE], school districts and charter schools) to share their stories of how, what, and why programs and services are selected to meet their local needs.

The components of the LCAP for the 2025–2026 LCAP year must be posted as one document assembled in the following order:

  • LCFF Budget Overview for Parents
  • Plan Summary
  • Engaging Educational Partners
  • Goals and Actions
  • Increased or Improved Services for Foster Youth, English Learners, and Low-income students
  • Action Tables
  • Instructions

California Education Code (EC) sections 52065 and 47606.5(i) require that all LCAPs approved by the governing board or body of the LEA be prominently posted on the homepage of the internet website of the LEA.

State Board Adopted Templates

Below are the current templates adopted by the California State Board of Education (SBE). LEAs are required to adhere to these templates and their instructions when completing the LCAP.

Prior versions of the SBE-adopted LCAP template and instructions are available on the LCFF Template Archive web page. These prior versions of the SBE-adopted LCAP template and instructions are provided for historical reference.

Electronic Template

The electronic template (eTemplate) is the California Department of Education's (CDE) online system designed to support LEAs in the development of their LCAPs. The eTemplate system meets accessibility requirements. LEAs are encouraged to utilize the eTemplate system to reduce duplication of effort in developing and annually updating the LCAP.

LCFF State Priorities

LEAs are required to address applicable LCFF state priorities, as well as any local priorities identified by the LEA, in the LCAP.

The LCFF State Priorities Summary (DOCX) provides a summary of the LCFF state priorities described in EC Section 52060(d) for school districts and charter schools, as applicable, and EC Section 52066(d) for COEs, to aid in the development of the LCAP.

Other Planning Templates

Additional state planning templates include the LCAP Federal Addendum and the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). The templates are aligned to meet federal requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Within California, LEAs that apply for ESSA funds are required to complete the LCAP, the LCAP Federal Addendum Template (Addendum), and the Consolidated Application (ConApp). The LCAP, in conjunction with the Addendum and the ConApp, serve to meet the ESSA LEA Plan requirement.

Pursuant to EC Section 52065 and 47606.5(i), the LCAP Federal Addendum must be posted on the same web page as the LEAs LCAPs. This includes any revisions or updates made at the local level to the plan approved by the SBE.

EC Section 64001 and the ESSA require schools that receive federal funds through the ConApp to consolidate all school planning requirements into the SPSA. The SPSA template assists LEAs and schools in meeting the content requirements for consolidating all school plans, as well as developing plans that meet Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) planning requirements.

  • SPSA Template (DOCX; Updated 19-Jun-2024)
    This SPSA template consolidates all school-level planning efforts into one plan for programs funded through the ConApp pursuant to EC Section 64001 and the ESSA. This template is designed to meet schoolwide program planning requirements.
  • SPSA (CSI) Template (DOCX; Updated 19-Jun-2024)
    This SPSA template consolidates all school-level planning efforts into one plan for programs funded through the ConApp, and for federal CSI, pursuant to EC Section 64001 and the ESSA. This template is designed to meet schoolwide program planning requirements for both the SPSA and federal CSI planning requirements.
  • SPSA (ATSI) Template (DOCX; Updated 19-Jun-2024)
    This SPSA template consolidates all school-level planning efforts into one plan for programs funded through the ConApp, and for federal ATSI, pursuant to EC Section 64001 and the ESSA. This template is designed to meet schoolwide program planning requirements for both the SPSA and federal ATSI planning requirements.
  • SPSA (TSI) Template (DOCX; Posted 03-Oct-2024)
    This SPSA template consolidates all school-level planning efforts into one plan for programs funded through the ConApp, and for federal TSI, pursuant to EC Section 64001 and the ESSA. This template is designed to meet schoolwide program planning requirements for both the SPSA and federal TSI planning requirements.
  • SPSA Guidance: Planning for the LCAP and School Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

More frequently asked questions will be added as they become available.

Resources

LCAP Development Resources

Planning for the LCAP and School Plan

The State Priority Related Resources page provides links to resources for developing and implementing state priorities in the LCAP.

The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Reports page provides access to search for the latest available LCFF funding and accountability data for individual schools, school districts, and county offices of education.

The CDE conducted a formative analysis (study) (DOCX) of Priority 3 (Parental Involvement and Family Engagement) Local Indicator Data reported by LEAs in the 2019 Dashboard. The CDE developed the study’s design with technical assistance from the Region 15 Comprehensive Center at WestEd (R15 CC) and the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West at WestEd.

Regulations

County Office of Education, School District, & Charter School LCAPs

California EC Section 52065 External link opens in new window or tab. requires each LEA to post their adopted LCAP to the California School Dashboard (Dashboard). To access an LEA's LCAP, enter the LEA's name on the Dashboard and scroll down to the county details section.

LCFF and Uniform Complaint Procedures

The LCFF and Uniform Complaint Procedures (UCP) Letter provides information about the LCFF and UCPs.

Summary of CDE UCP Appeal Decisions

Email Updates

If you would like to receive updates regarding the LCFF via e-mail notification, subscribe to the LCFF listserv by sending a "blank" message to join-LCFF-list@mlist.cde.ca.gov. (To unsubscribe, send a "blank" message to unsubscribe-LCFF-list@mlist.cde.ca.gov.)

Contact Information

For questions related to the LCAP, contact the Local Agency Systems Support Office at LCFF@cde.ca.gov.

For questions related to LCFF apportionments, contact the Principal Apportionment Section at PASE@cde.ca.gov.

For questions related to the California Accountability Model and School Dashboard, contact the Accountability Development & Policy Analysis Office at DASHBOARD@cde.ca.gov.

Questions:   Local Agency Systems Support Office | LCFF@cde.ca.gov
Last Reviewed: Friday, February 07, 2025
Related Content
Trending in Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Recently Posted in Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)
No items posted in the last 60 days.