Gov. Gavin Newsom praised the state’s efforts to reopen schools safely during a campus visit last week. (photo courtesy of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office)

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 15 visited a TK-8 school in Oakland to showcase the state’s efforts to safely open schools for full in-person instruction, highlighting new data showing that the vast majority of school districts are reporting that 95-100% of students are learning in person.

“We implemented the most robust school reopening and safety strategy in the entire country, and now California’s students are back in the classroom and schools are remaining open at nation-leading rates,” Newsom said. “It’s no coincidence that California is the first state to advance out of the CDC’s ‘high’ transmission category and has the lowest case rates in the entire country. The state’s efforts and resources have made schools among the safest places in our communities.”

California’s Student Supports & In-Person Dashboard provides data collected from school districts regarding how many students are back in classrooms, as well as the expanded educational opportunities and wellness services available for students.

Additionally, the new District 2021-22 Instruction Status Map provides a regional breakdown of student in-person rates, expanded educational opportunities and in-school outbreak-associated cases.

CDC data has shown that California is leading national trends for keeping kids out of the hospital. As of Sept. 12, the national rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations for those aged 0-17 was three times the rate of California’s, while Florida’s rate was 6 times that of California.

Nationally, California is leading national trends in keeping schools open. According to Burbio, which tracks nationwide school closures, roughly 1,900 to 2,000 school closures have occurred this year, with only nine in California – amounting to roughly 0.5% of total closures nationwide.

Through the winter, Newsom sought urgent action to provide school funding to both accelerate school reopenings in the 2020-21 school year and expand student supports for the summer and 2021-22 school year. Assembly Bill 86 was enacted on March 5, with $4.6 billion dedicated to expanding student supports. Schools used the early funds to expand educational opportunities for the summer and the upcoming school year. According to summer data, 89% of school districts reporting offered new learning opportunities over the summer, including learning acceleration, enrichment and mental health services.