California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is touting a 66% increase in per-student education spending since taking office, but state reading scores show that the massive cash infusion has done little to improve literacy, and in some cases, student performance has worsened.
Newsom celebrated the spending increase this week, boasting on social media that California now spends a record $28,282 per student as his administration makes what he called “historic investments in public education.” But state proficiency data complicates the governor’s victory lap: black students’ reading proficiency remained flat at 32% between the year before Newsom took office and the most recent reporting year, despite billions in additional educational funding. White students, meanwhile, saw reading proficiency fall from 65% to 62% over the same period.
Reading proficiency of black students in California in the year before Newsom took office: 32%
In the most recent year: 32%
So, a 66% increase in spending led to a 0% increase in reading proficiency. https://t.co/62o27hKNWy
— i/o (@avidseries) May 15, 2026
The figures raise fresh questions about whether Newsom’s education agenda has translated into measurable classroom gains, or whether the Democratic governor is using ballooning budgets to score political points while academic outcomes stagnate.
When Newsom entered office in 2019, California’s K-12 schools received roughly $17,423 per student from state, local, and federal funding sources. Under his proposed 2026-27 budget, that figure has climbed to more than $28,000 per student, representing one of the sharpest spending increases in the nation. Newsom has repeatedly framed the increase as proof that his administration is transforming public education, describing California’s school funding as “the envy of many other states.”
Yet long-running arguments from teachers unions and education officials that low funding was the primary driver behind California’s lagging academic performance now face greater scrutiny. California was once near the bottom nationally in per-pupil spending, but now ranks among the top tier of states. Student outcomes, however, have improved in tandem.
Critics argue that much of the additional funding has gone toward expanding bureaucracy, new state initiatives, and higher compensation packages rather than directly improving core academic performance. Some districts have used the additional funding to shore up payroll and pension obligations even as enrollment declines and test scores remain weak.
The disconnect is particularly stark for minority students, whom Newsom and other California Democrats frequently invoke when defending higher education spending. Despite the governor’s 66% funding increase, black students’ reading proficiency has not improved during his tenure, raising questions about whether the state’s historic spending spree has failed to move the needle for one of the groups Democratic politicians most often claim to prioritize. In California, at least, Newsom’s record spending has so far produced a record bill, without the record achievement.
