CalMatters

Teachers Michelle Ramos-La Grone and Elsa Cintora work with students in the transitional kindergarten program at Westwood Elementary School in Stockton on Sept. 22.

In the first glimpse of California鈥檚 K-12 schools鈥 year-over-year progress since the pandemic, graduation rates hit some of their highest levels ever, absenteeism dropped significantly, and hundreds of districts showed academic improvements.

But despite a few bright spots, most of the 13 measurements that California uses to gauge student achievement remained flat in the 2023 School Dashboard, which the California Department of Education released last week.