Two California Districts Beat Math Learning Slump

Two school districts serving over 23,000 students in California's Central Valley are proving that the nation's math struggles can be reversed.

Kings Canyon Joint Unified School District in Reedley and Sanger Unified just received national recognition from Education Scorecard for dramatically accelerating student math achievement. The honor comes from a collaboration between researchers at Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth who track academic progress nationwide.

Only 12 California districts made the cut. The recognition matters even more because California ranked just 19th out of 38 states in math growth from 2022 to 2025, making these two districts' progress stand out.

"This recognition reflects the incredible work happening across our district every single day," said Kings Canyon Superintendent John Campbell. "Our teachers, support staff, administrators, students, and families have stayed focused on student learning and growth."

The districts join 108 nationwide that researchers say are "finding ways to get students learning again" after what Harvard professor Tom Kane calls a "learning recession" that started a decade ago. Kane points to reduced accountability measures and increased social media use as contributing factors.

The Ripple Effect

The success in these Central Valley communities shows what focused effort can accomplish. Kings Canyon serves about 9,700 students while Sanger educates roughly 13,300, proving that meaningful progress doesn't require massive resources or urban-sized budgets.

Both districts serve largely working-class communities in eastern Fresno County, areas that often face funding challenges and high rates of English language learners. Their achievement suggests that other similarly situated districts across the country could replicate their results.

Campbell credits the entire community coming together with a "shared commitment to supporting our children." That collaborative approach, teachers working alongside families and administrators, appears to be the secret ingredient.

Even California's chronic absenteeism numbers are improving, dropping from over 30% in 2022 to under 20% in 2025. While still above pre-pandemic levels, the trend points toward students and families re-engaging with education.

Two districts just showed thousands of students that catching up is possible.