The state’s identification today of California’s lowest-performing schools, as required by President Obama’s signature education law, is a harsh reminder of the crisis of equity and achievement in California’s public education system. Over 780 schools were flagged as seriously failing students–due to a combination of low performance across multiple indicators, including academic achievement and graduation rates.

The academic data of schools on the list is alarming. For example, Los Angeles Unified has over 100 schools on the list. Last year at Audubon Middle School, in LAUSD’s Board District 1, not a single 6th grader passed the Smarter Balanced math assessment. That’s worse than a decade ago, when about 17% of Audubon’s 6th graders were proficient in math. And much worse than a decade before that, in 1998, 32% of Audubon’s 6th graders were average or above in math.

“This long overdue list demonstrates the wisdom of President Obama and the bipartisan Congress in reauthorizing ESSA and demanding transparency and real accountability in public education,” said Bill Lucia, President of EdVoice. “This list generates serious questions: What will the State, LAUSD and districts across the state do to help students and families trapped in zip codes with failing schools? How are these students going to be able to access their fundamental right to a quality public education? Where is the political will to arrest the decades-long failure to improve learning opportunities for all students now that President Obama’s list has been released?”