CalSTRS
CalSTRS is the California State Teachers' Retirement System, a public defined benefit pension fund established in 1913 that serves over 1 million California public educators and beneficiaries with $367.7 billion in assets under management.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1913
- HeadquartersWest Sacramento, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CalSTRS does
CalSTRS (California State Teachers' Retirement System) is a public pension system established in 1913 under California state law to provide retirement, survivor, and disability benefits to the state's public school educators from prekindergarten through community college. It is the largest educator-only pension fund in the world, serving over 1 million active and retired members and beneficiaries, with $367.7 billion in total fund value as of June 30, 2025 and a Defined Benefit Program funded status of 76.7% as of June 30, 2024 — the seventh consecutive year of improvement. Membership is mandatory for California public school employees, and the system is funded through statutory contributions from members (10.205%–10.250%), employers (19.1%), and the state of California (10.828%).
The system's core technology stack centers on the myCalSTRS online member portal (redesigned September 2025 with self-service calculators, account management, form submission, and multifactor authentication), an employer reporting system integrated with California school districts and county offices, and an institutional investment portfolio management infrastructure supporting eight asset classes — Public Equity, Fixed Income, Real Estate, Private Equity, Risk Mitigating Strategies, Inflation Sensitive, Strategic Overlay and Cash, and Collaborative Strategies. The product portfolio is a hybrid retirement system layering the core Defined Benefit Program with the Defined Benefit Supplement, a Cash Balance Benefit Program for part-time educators, and Pension2 voluntary 403(b)/457(b)/Roth supplemental savings administered through Voya Financial.
CalSTRS has no commercial revenue model in the traditional sense. It charges no member fees for pension administration; its economics are defined by statutory contribution rates, long-duration investment returns (8.5% net for FY2024-25, 9.4% five-year, 8.1% ten-year — all above the 7.0% actuarial assumption), and a legislated 32-year path to full funding under AB 1469 (2014). Member outreach runs through the portal, Connections and Retired Educator newsletters, multi-stage webinars, member service centers, social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube), and the Pension Sense blog. The Teachers' Retirement Board governs the fund, with current leadership including CEO Cassandra Lichnock, CIO Scott Chan, Board Chair Denise Bradford, and Vice Chair Karen Yamamoto.
CalSTRS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CalSTRS
- Legal name
- California State Teachers' Retirement System
- Website
- https://calstrs.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1913
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- CalSTRS is the California State Teachers' Retirement System, a public defined benefit pension fund established in 1913 that serves over 1 million California public educators and beneficiaries with $367.7 billion in assets under management.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CalSTRS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Pension Fund Administration
- NAICS
- Pension Funds (525110), Pension Funds (52511), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pension Master Trusts, Superannuation & Provident Funds (FSAAAGAB), Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC)
Keywords
Where CalSTRS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Sacramento
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CalSTRS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Pension Contributions: CalSTRS is funded through contributions from three sources: CalSTRS members (10.250% for 2% at 60 members, 10.205% for 2% at 62 members), employers (19.1%), and the state of California (10.828%). These contributions fund the Defined Benefit Program for retirement, survivor, and disability benefits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Defined Benefit Program - Mandatory pension contributions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
CalSTRS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CalSTRS administers a mandatory defined benefit pension system providing retirement, survivor, and disability benefits to California public school educators from prekindergarten through community college. The system manages a $367.7 billion diversified investment portfolio and supplements its core defined benefit with the Defined Benefit Supplement Program, Cash Balance Benefit Program, and Pension2 voluntary 403(b)/457(b) savings plans, with member access delivered via the myCalSTRS online portal and member service centers.
Product overview
CalSTRS operates as a hybrid retirement system consisting of multiple integrated programs: the core Defined Benefit Program (traditional pension with guaranteed monthly payments), the Defined Benefit Supplement Program (cash balance addition), the Cash Balance Benefit Program (for part-time educators), and Pension2 (voluntary 403(b)/457(b) supplemental savings). Members access these services through the myCalSTRS online portal, which provides retirement calculations, account management, forms, and self-service tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pension2: CalSTRS voluntary supplemental savings plan offering 403(b), 457(b), Roth 403(b) and Roth 457(b) plans for additional retirement savings
- myCalSTRS
- Pension2
- 403bCompare
Products and services
- Defined Benefit Program Traditional mandatory defined benefit pension plan providing guaranteed lifetime retirement, survivor, and disability benefits based on a formula of service credit, age at retirement, and final compensation for California public school educators.
- Defined Benefit Supplement Program Cash balance component that provides additional annuity and earnings credits on top of the base Defined Benefit Program.
- Cash Balance Benefit Program Cash balance retirement benefit program for part-time educators and other eligible members that accumulates credits proportional to employment level.
- Pension2 Voluntary supplemental savings program offering 403(b), 457(b), Roth 403(b), and Roth 457(b) plans administered through Voya Financial to complement the CalSTRS retirement benefit with flexible investment options.
- myCalSTRS Member Portal Online member portal providing 24/7 access to CalSTRS accounts, retirement benefit estimates, account balance checks, profile updates, form submission, beneficiary management, 1099-R access, and direct deposit management.
- Survivor Benefits
- Disability Benefits
Quantifiable outcome
- 8.5% net return for fiscal year 2024-25, exceeding 7.0% actuarial assumption
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use CalSTRS
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CalSTRS technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
CalSTRS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CalSTRS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Voya Financial: Voya Financial administers the Pension2 supplemental savings plans (403(b)/457(b)) for CalSTRS members and is a broader retirement-plan administrator; it is an ecosystem partner and indirect peer in serving educator retirement savings needs.
Broad incumbents
- State Street Global Advisors: State Street Global Advisors is a major institutional asset manager that provides investment management services to large public pension funds, broadly comparable to CalSTRS in serving institutional retirement investors with diversified portfolios.
- Florida State Board of Administration: The Florida SBA manages the Florida Retirement System pension fund and other state assets, broadly comparable to CalSTRS as a large public asset pool, though it serves a wider set of state plans rather than educators only.
- Washington State Investment Board: WSIB manages pension and other state trust assets for Washington, comparable to CalSTRS in scale and institutional investment approach, though its portfolio spans multiple state retirement plans rather than a single educator-focused fund.
Direct peers
- CalPERS: California Public Employees' Retirement System is the state's other large public pension fund, with comparable defined benefit structure, California state sponsorship, and similar scale, making it the closest direct peer to CalSTRS in mandate, governance, and investment approach.
- Ohio State Teachers Retirement System: STRS Ohio is a large state-level educator pension fund with a defined benefit plan, similar in scope to CalSTRS and directly comparable in member demographics, plan design, and governance.
- New York State Common Retirement Fund: The New York State Common Retirement Fund is one of the largest U.S. public pension funds, comparable to CalSTRS in asset scale, defined benefit administration, and state-level governance.
- New York State Teachers' Retirement System: NYSTRS is one of the largest U.S. public pension funds dedicated to educators, with a defined benefit structure serving New York teachers, directly comparable to CalSTRS in mission, member base, and plan design.
- Texas Teacher Retirement System: TRS of Texas is a major educator-only public pension fund with a defined benefit plan, making it a directly comparable peer in target membership, plan architecture, and large-scale public pension operations.
- Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System: PSERS is a public defined benefit pension fund for Pennsylvania school employees, comparable to CalSTRS in serving K-14 public educators and operating under a state-mandated contributory framework.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CalSTRS social profiles
Digital presenceCalSTRS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CalSTRS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
CalSTRS subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
CalSTRS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CalSTRS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments13 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CalSTRS
What does CalSTRS do?
CalSTRS administers a mandatory defined benefit pension system providing retirement, survivor, and disability benefits to California public school educators from prekindergarten through community college. The system manages a $367.7 billion diversified investment portfolio and supplements its core defined benefit with the Defined Benefit Supplement Program, Cash Balance Benefit Program, and Pension2 voluntary 403(b)/457(b) savings plans, with member access delivered via the myCalSTRS online portal and member service centers.
Is CalSTRS a public or private company?
CalSTRS is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was CalSTRS founded?
CalSTRS was founded in 1913. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is CalSTRS based?
CalSTRS is headquartered in West Sacramento, United States, in the North America region.
How does CalSTRS make money?
One revenue line is on record: pension Contributions.
Who are CalSTRS's main competitors?
Voya Financial is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are State Street Global Advisors, Florida State Board of Administration and Washington State Investment Board. Direct peers are CalPERS, Ohio State Teachers Retirement System, New York State Common Retirement Fund, New York State Teachers' Retirement System, Texas Teacher Retirement System and Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System.
Does CalSTRS have an API?
No public API is recorded for CalSTRS.
What industry is CalSTRS in?
CalSTRS's product category is Public Pension Fund Administration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAKAA, Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration, with a secondary code of FSAAAGAB, Pension Master Trusts, Superannuation & Provident Funds. Its NAICS code is 525110.