2025-26 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Progress
As Redwood City School District (RCSD) enters the final year of its current Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) cycle, the district is reporting encouraging progress in attendance, student engagement, English Learner success, and academic achievement.
The LCAP outlines the district's three-year goals, funding priorities, and strategies for improving outcomes for all students, particularly those who may need additional support, including English Learners, Foster Youth, students experiencing homelessness, low-income students, and students with disabilities.
The 2025-2026 update provides a transparent look at how RCSD is progressing toward its goals and where the district will focus its efforts during the final year of the current LCAP cycle.
Goal 1: Supporting Student Well-Being and Attendance
What RCSD Promised:
By 2027, RCSD committed to increasing attendance, reducing chronic absenteeism, and maintaining safe and supportive learning environments for all students. One of the district’s primary strategies is the continued implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). MTSS is a proactive framework that helps schools identify and respond to students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs before challenges become barriers to success. Some students may need only classroom-level supports, while others may benefit from small-group interventions, counseling services, or more intensive individualized assistance.
The district also committed to reducing chronic absenteeism by 3% annually and increasing attendance rates by 2% each year. Chronic absenteeism occurs when a student misses 10% or more of the school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences. Research consistently shows that students who attend school regularly are more likely to succeed academically and remain connected to their school community.
Goal 1 Progress Made in 2025-26
Attendance continued to improve across the district, increasing from 93.7% to 94.5%.
At the same time, chronic absenteeism declined significantly from 17.5% to 13.4%, representing one of the district's strongest areas of progress this year. Improvements were also seen among English Learners, students experiencing homelessness, foster youth, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities.
Suspension rates remained relatively low districtwide at 1.4%. Although slightly higher than the previous year, suspension rates remain well below the district’s baseline and continue to reflect the impact of proactive student support systems.
School climate data also showed positive trends. Elementary and middle school students reported stronger feelings of school connectedness, improved relationships with caring adults, and increased perceptions of safety at school.
What's Next in Goal 1:
RCSD will continue focusing on attendance and engagement during the 2026-27 school year, particularly for student groups that continue to experience attendance challenges.
The district plans to expand attendance monitoring, strengthen family outreach, continue Student Success Team meetings, and provide wraparound supports that help remove barriers to learning. Mental health services, community school supports, restorative practices, and MTSS interventions will remain central components of this work.
Goal 2: Improving Outcomes for English Learners
What RCSD Promised:
By 2027, RCSD committed to increasing the percentage of English Learners who demonstrate annual growth on the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC), increasing reclassification rates, and reducing the percentage of Long-Term English Learners (LTELs).
The ELPAC measures how well students who are learning English are developing their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The assessment helps educators monitor progress and determine when students are ready to be reclassified as fluent English proficient.
Reclassification is an important milestone because it indicates that a student has developed the English language skills necessary to participate successfully in grade-level instruction without specialized language support services.
Another key district goal is reducing the number of Long-Term English Learners. LTELs are students who have attended U.S. schools for six or more years and are still working toward English proficiency. Reducing the number of LTELs means more students are successfully developing English language skills and gaining access to the full academic curriculum.
Goal 2 Progress Made in 2025-26
English Learner outcomes continued to improve. The percentage of English Learners making at least one year’s growth on the ELPAC increased to 41.9%, up from 38.7% at baseline.
The percentage of Long-Term English Learners declined from 26% at baseline to 11%, bringing the district close to its 2027 goal of reducing LTELs to 10%.
RCSD also continued expanding support for newcomer students, bilingual staffing, integrated English Language Development (ELD) instruction, and ongoing progress monitoring.
Newcomer support provides specialized help for students who are new to the United States and just beginning to learn English. Integrated ELD helps students develop English language skills while learning grade-level content in subjects such as mathematics, science, and English Language Arts. The district also uses progress-monitoring tools to track student growth and ensure support is targeted where it is needed most.
What's Next in Goal 2:
During the 2026-27 school year, RCSD will continue providing professional development focused on English Learner instruction, expanding integrated ELD coaching for teachers, and strengthening support for newcomer students.
The district will also continue using the Ellevation platform, a tool that helps educators monitor English Learner progress, track language development, and identify students who may need additional support. RCSD will work closely with families to help them better understand their children’s English language development and academic growth.
Goal 3: Boosting Academic Achievement in Reading and Mathematics
What RCSD Promised:
RCSD committed to increasing student achievement in reading and mathematics by at least 4% annually using i-Ready, the district's local assessment system. i-Ready is an online assessment that helps teachers measure student progress throughout the school year and identify areas where students may need additional support.
The district also established goals for improving performance on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), California's statewide assessment system. CAASPP measures how well students are meeting state academic standards in English Language Arts, mathematics, and science.
Particular attention is focused on improving outcomes for student groups that have historically experienced achievement gaps, including English Learners, Long-Term English Learners, African American students, and students with disabilities.
Goal 3 Progress Made in 2025-26
Academic achievement improved across multiple measures. On i-Ready assessments, districtwide reading performance increased from 57% to 60.7%, while mathematics performance increased from 47% to 56.4%.
Preliminary CAASPP results also showed encouraging gains. Districtwide English Language Arts proficiency increased from 49.2% to 53.3%. Mathematics proficiency increased from 39.6% to 43.7%. Science proficiency increased from 33% to 38%.
While achievement gaps remain for some student groups, these results suggest continued progress toward the district's long-term academic goals.
What's Next in Goal 3:
RCSD will continue strengthening literacy, mathematics, and science instruction through evidence-based programs and targeted professional learning for educators.
In the early grades, students will continue using Benchmark Adelante, the district's Spanish-language literacy program designed to build foundational reading and writing skills. Strong early literacy skills help students become confident readers and support success across all subject areas.
In mathematics, the district will continue implementing Illustrative Mathematics, a curriculum that encourages students to think critically, solve problems, explain their reasoning, and develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts rather than simply memorizing procedures.
Teachers will also continue working with instructional coaches—experienced educators who provide classroom support, model effective teaching strategies, and help teachers analyze student data and improve instruction. Common assessments will continue to be used throughout the year to help teachers monitor student progress, identify learning gaps, and provide additional support when needed.
In science, RCSD will continue strengthening implementation of the FOSS curriculum, California's adopted elementary science program. FOSS uses hands-on investigations and inquiry-based learning to help students explore scientific concepts through observation, experimentation, and problem-solving.
Together, these efforts are designed to provide students with engaging, high-quality learning experiences while ensuring teachers have the tools and support needed to respond effectively to student needs.
Looking Forward:
The 2026 LCAP update demonstrates encouraging progress across all three district goals. Attendance is improving, chronic absenteeism is declining, English Learners continue making gains, and academic achievement is trending upward. While challenges remain, particularly in closing achievement gaps and ensuring consistent outcomes for all student groups, the district remains focused on continuous improvement and equity.
As RCSD enters the final year of its current LCAP cycle, investments in student supports, family engagement, multilingual learner programs, instructional improvement, and community partnerships will continue to guide the district's work toward ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive.