LAUSD celebrates the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year at the Walt Disney Concert Hall

Credit: Mallika Seshadri

Top Takeaways

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho affirmed support for all students in the face of immigration enforcement at the Opening of Schools Address.

LAUSD’s state standardized test scores have increased across the board for the second consecutive year, making district history.

Carvalho unveiled several of the district’s 46 initiatives for the 2025-26 academic year.

Between performances from district bands, a cappella groups and dance programs, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho affirmed the district will do anything to protect its students at Tuesday’s Opening of Schools Address, titled “Inspire Greatness.” 

Carvalho and LAUSD board members emphasized the district’s resilience in the face of January’s Palisades fire that burned several campuses and ongoing ICE raids targeting Los Angeles communities that have left many parents and students afraid to participate in school programs and events.

“I feel fear. You feel fear. Decent people feel fear. Fear is a natural biological reaction that triggers hormonal dispensation that allows us to make decisions to run like hell or fight like hell,” Carvalho said Tuesday at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. “And I submit to you right now, we don’t run. We stand our ground and protect those who we are responsible for protecting, bringing peace and comfort to those who are being shoved back into a dark corner of our collective history. We are not backing away from that responsibility.” 

Mariachi Los Alanos from Garfield High School performed the national anthem, and Carvalho highlighted the Education Foundation’s Compassion Fund, which helps students and their families with acute needs — ranging from legal aid to help with transportation. 

He also recognized community organizations the district has worked with to support students and commended Principals Maria Gomez and Alejandra Miramontes, who denied entry to officials from the Department of Homeland Security at Lillian Street Elementary and Russell Elementary in April. 

“Because of your conviction, an unimaginable day did not become an unthinkable tragedy,” Carvalho said. “You looked and stared at terror in the eye and said, ‘Not today. Not on my watch.’ And we will never forget it.” 

And amid ongoing challenges, LAUSD celebrated students’ academic achievement in the state Smarter Balanced assessments, which Carvalho said increased across the board for the second year in a row and the first time in district history — with 46.45% of students meeting or exceeding state standards in English language arts and 36.76% in math. 

This year’s scores mark a 3.4% improvement over last year in the number of students who met or exceeded English language arts standards — and a 3.92% increase in math.

Both the district’s Priority Schools and Black Student Achievement Plan schools showed notable progress, now outpacing LAUSD’s district-wide rates of improvement. 

“When we hear from the federal government that diversity is a problem, that being inclusive and equitable is not productive and counterintuitive to achieving in reading and math, not only is that morally wrong, but we proven it’s factually wrong,” board member Kelly Gonez said at the press conference. 

“Celebrating the diverse populations that we serve here in L.A. Unified that integrates language and culture and history from our students and their families works,” Gonez said.

Carvalho also applauded the district’s growth in adult education, which gained about 76,000 students this past school year, and early education, which grew from roughly 24,000 students to 32,000 — and hinted at several of the district’s 46 initiatives for the 2025-26 school year. 

The initiatives range greatly and include: creating a centralized hub for data on potentially dangerous environmental conditions in real time; expanding outdoor classrooms and opportunities to explore in nature; adding micro-credentialing pathways for teachers; holding rooftop concerts; incorporating online budget transparency and crime reporting tools; and improving access to computer science, swimming and chess programs. 

“Now is not the time to slow down,” Carvalho said. “We’re not here to just recover. We weren’t built and designed to just catch up. We are here to excel. We are here to lead.”