California State Board of Education

What California State Board of Education does

The California State Board of Education is the state-level constitutional policy-making body for K-12 public education in California, headquartered in Sacramento and operating under the California Department of Education. The Board sets academic content standards (Common Core State Standards), adopts curriculum frameworks and instructional materials (including Savvas Learning Company's enVision+ and Experience Math programs approved in November 2025), authorizes and oversees approximately 1,300 charter schools, and administers accountability systems such as the California School Dashboard, CAASPP, ELPAC, and the Smarter Balanced Assessment System. The Board also funds K-12 operations through the Local Control Funding Formula and runs longitudinal data programs including CALPADS and the Cradle-to-Career Data System.

The Board's core 'products' are therefore standards, assessments, accountability tools, and approved instructional materials rather than commercial software. It does not sell products or services and is funded entirely through state budget appropriations; the broader California K-12 system under its policy purview serves more than 6 million students across 10,000+ schools and 300,000 teachers. Recent activity includes adopting a statewide personal finance curriculum (mandatory for the class of 2030-31), expanding universal transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds, deploying $1.9 billion in CalKIDS college savings for 3.4 million low-income children, and enacting new laws regulating AI and social-media use by minors.

The Board is governed as a public body with Tony Thurmond serving as State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Its go-to-market is non-commercial: standards, frameworks, and accountability systems are distributed through the California Department of Education's infrastructure to districts and schools statewide, and curriculum adoptions flow to publishers and vendors such as Savvas Learning Company. Customer concentration is structurally low because the Board is a state monopoly; geographic expansion is not commercially meaningful. The most material operational risks are political and legal, including an ongoing U.S. Department of Education student-privacy investigation and a 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court ruling reinstating parental notification rights regarding student gender identity.

Name

California State Board of Education

Legal name

California State Board of Education

Website

https://cde.ca.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1849

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The California State Board of Education is the state-level K-12 policy-making body that sets academic standards, adopts curriculum and instructional materials, authorizes charter schools, and oversees accountability systems for California's 6 million public school students across 10,000+ schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Policy and Governance

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (923110), Administration of Education Programs (92311)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Policy, Governance & Board Administration (EDAJAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Elected School Boards & Governance Councils (EDADABAE), Charter School Authorizers & Oversight Boards (EDADABAB)

Keywords

• K-12 education policy
• Curriculum standards adoption
• Student assessment systems
• School accountability framework
• Educational governance body

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The California State Board of Education is the K-12 policy-making body for the state of California, responsible for setting academic content standards, approving curriculum frameworks and instructional materials, authorizing charter schools, and overseeing statewide student assessment and accountability systems. It operates under the California Department of Education and governs standards and programs affecting over 6 million public school students across more than 10,000 schools.

Product overview

The California State Board of Education oversees a comprehensive platform of educational programs, assessment systems, and accountability tools. The core offerings include the California School Dashboard (accountability system), multiple standardized assessment programs (CAASPP, ELPAC, Smarter Balanced), and the Local Control Funding Formula for school financing. Recent curriculum adoptions include Savvas Learning Company's math programs (enVision+ California Mathematics K-8, enVision+ California Algebra 1, Experience Math California K-8) and a new personal finance curriculum. The CalKIDS program provides college savings accounts, and the Cradle-to-Career Data System tracks student outcomes longitudinally. The system serves over 6,000,000 students across more than 10,000 schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• California School Dashboard An accountability and continuous improvement system that helps educators and the public see how California districts and schools are performing, providing data on graduation rates, suspension rates, test scores, English Learner progress, college/career indicators, chronic absenteeism, and local indicators.

Quantifiable outcome

• California added approximately 25,000 preschool students after expanding universal transitional kindergarten
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe California Department of Education serves as the operational arm implementing policies set by the State Board of Education. The Department hosts the annual Wellness Together Conference in partnership with Wellness Together, with the Department providing institutional support and endorsement for the behavioral health conference.
• Savvas Learning CompanyminorOthersSavvas Learning Company's math programs (enVision+ California Mathematics Grades K-8, enVision+ California Algebra 1, and Experience Math California Grades K-8) were approved for statewide adoption by the California State Board of Education.
• Blue Shield of CaliforniaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlue Shield of California served as the Legacy Impact Partner for the 10th Annual Wellness Together Conference, providing funding for 300 free conference scholarships valued at over $240,000 to college students.
• First Partner Jennifer Siebel NewsomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Governor and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom partnered to expand women's access to capital, financial education, and wealth-building opportunities through the California Women's Wealth Advisory Council, aligned with the CalKIDS program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Texas Education Agency: State-level education regulatory and policy body for Texas K-12 public schools. Comparable to the California State Board of Education as a peer state-level authority governing curriculum, assessment, and accountability across a very large public school system.
• New York State Education Department: State education regulatory authority for New York K-12 public schools. Comparable to the California State Board of Education in scale and scope of state-level policy, assessment, and accountability oversight over a large public school system.
• Florida Department of Education: State-level education regulatory body for Florida K-12 public schools. Comparable peer to the California State Board of Education given similar role in setting state curriculum standards, administering assessments, and overseeing district accountability.
• U.S. Department of Education: Federal-level education authority setting national policy direction, distributing Title funding, and overseeing FERPA and civil rights compliance that binds state boards. It is the federal counterpart whose rulings (e.g., the federal privacy investigation cited in this dataset) directly constrain California State Board of Education policy.
• Pennsylvania Department of Education: State-level regulatory body for Pennsylvania K-12 public schools. Comparable peer in role and scope of state-level standards-setting, assessment administration, and district oversight.
• Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: State education authority for Ohio K-12 public schools. Comparable state-level regulator to the California State Board of Education in setting academic standards, administering state assessments, and overseeing district performance.

Direct peers

• Illinois State Board of Education: State-level policy-making board for Illinois K-12 education. Most direct structural peer to the California State Board of Education: both are state boards that set K-12 academic standards, approve instructional materials, and govern charter school authorization.

Others

• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO): Non-governmental association of state education chiefs. Comparable to the California State Board of Education as an ecosystem-coordinating body: it convenes state boards, drives shared standards (e.g., Common Core), and influences inter-state policy alignment that directly affects California's authority.
• Education Commission of the States: Interstate compact that tracks and advises on state education policy. Comparable ecosystem participant that shapes the policy environment in which the California State Board of Education operates, particularly on graduation requirements and personal finance mandates.

Regional players

• Georgia Department of Education: State-level regulatory body for Georgia K-12 public schools. Comparable to the California State Board of Education in role (standards, assessment, accountability) but operates in a different geographic/state political context; useful as a non-coastal regional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CADeptEd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California State Board of Education