GPSN report analyzes LAUSD's education recovery progress four years after pandemic onset.
A comprehensive report released by GPSN examines the state of education recovery in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) four years after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Titled “State of Recovery in Los Angeles Unified: Four Years Later, How are Students Doing?”, the study provides an in-depth analysis of student performance data and district strategies.
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Key Findings
Key findings highlight academic progress, persistent achievement gaps, and areas needing targeted intervention.
- LAUSD experienced less learning loss during school closures than other major districts and achieved an above-average recovery. However, it still lags behind other large districts statewide and nationally.
- Recovery has been uneven across student groups, with younger students, students of color, low-income students, and English learners struggling more to recoup losses.
- Despite major improvements, chronic absenteeism remains a significant challenge, with 37% of students chronically absent in 2022-23 compared to 16% pre-pandemic.
- College-going rates among LAUSD graduates have declined, with only 50% of graduates attending college within a year of graduating in 2021 and 2022.
- Student surveys indicate stagnant or declining well-being and satisfaction with school since returning to in-person learning.
Methodology
This report looks back at the findings from the first Educational Recovery Now report and examines new data from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years to evaluate the state of recovery in the district four years out from the onset of the pandemic. We also look at data from across the country to compare Los Angeles Unified’s recovery path to other major districts, and provide recommendations for where the district should go from here.
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