Summer School Funding in California: What Districts Need to Know for 2026-2027

California is the largest K-12 system in the country, with approximately 5.8 million students across roughly 1,000 school districts. Los Angeles Unified is the second largest district in the nation. Nearly one in five California students, about 1.1 million children, is an English learner. The scale of California’s educational system is matched by the complexity of its funding landscape.

For summer school specifically, California is one of the few states that has invested meaningfully in dedicated state-level funding for extended learning. That makes it one of the better environments in the country for districts trying to sustain summer programs as federal dedicated funding contracts.

This page covers the primary state and state-routed funding sources available to California districts for summer school. Many of these work best when layered with federal formula funds like Title I and IDEA, covered in full on our federal funding guide.

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California Summer School Funding Overview

California has been one of the most active states in building dedicated summer and expanded learning infrastructure. The Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P), established in 2021, represented one of the largest state investments in extended learning time in the country. The state also routes several federal programs through its own funding mechanisms, which means the programs a California district administrator encounters often have state names, state contacts, and state requirements layered on top of the federal statute.

This is particularly true for 21CCLC. In California, this federal program is commonly referenced by its formal Nita M. Lowey name rather than as Title IV Part B. If you ask a principal what summer funding sources they check first, the answer is typically ELO-P and then Nita M. Lowey, not federal program names.

California’s K-12 budget is shaped by Proposition 98, which establishes a minimum funding guarantee for public schools. The May 2026 revised budget from Governor Newsom reflected ongoing fiscal pressure at the state level, with education leaders expressing a mix of relief and frustration at funding levels. State funding availability can shift with the budget cycle, and it pays to stay current with the local county office of education on program status.

For federal funding that applies to California districts alongside these state sources, see our federal funding guide.

ELO-P: Summer School Eligibility and Use

The Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) is the anchor funding source for summer school in California and the first place most district administrators look when building a summer program budget. Established by AB 130 in 2021, ELO-P provides per-pupil funding for afterschool and summer school enrichment programs serving students from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.

Under ELO-P, “expanded learning” means before-school, afterschool, summer, or intersession programs that focus on developing the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of students through hands-on, engaging experiences. The Legislature’s intent is that expanded learning programs be pupil-centered, results-driven, include community partners, and complement rather than replicate the regular school day and school year.

ELO-P is formula-based, which means eligible districts receive an allocation rather than competing for a grant. That is a significant practical advantage over competitive funding sources and one of the reasons it has become the foundation of summer programming for so many California districts serving TK through sixth grade.

ELO-P funding flows through the Local Control Funding Formula, so it shows up in a district’s LCFF budget rather than as a standalone competitive grant. Districts must complete a needs assessment, engage stakeholders including parents and community partners in program design, and get the ELO-P plan approved by the local governing board before funds are drawn down. Programs must also meet the state’s minimum program hour requirements for TK-6 students on both school days and non-school days, with attendance and quality standards tracked and reported to the county office of education.

For districts combining ELO-P with Title I or IDEA dollars for the same students, supplement-not-supplant documentation still applies on the federal side. Our federal funding guide covers what that documentation needs to show.

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21CCLC / Nita M. Lowey: Summer School Eligibility and Use

In California, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is most commonly known by its formal name, the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, rather than as Title IV Part B. If you ask a California principal what summer funding they rely on after ELO-P, the Nita M. Lowey program is almost always the answer.

This program funds community learning centers that provide academic support, enrichment, and family literacy services to students in high-need schools. In California, the state distributes these federal dollars through a competitive grant process administered by the California Department of Education.

As covered on our federal funding guide, 21CCLC is at risk nationally. Recent federal budget proposals have called for eliminating it as a standalone program. California districts that have relied on this source should be monitoring both federal Congressional action and state CDE guidance closely.

Grants already awarded continue through their performance periods. For new awards, check current cycle availability with the California Department of Education.

Comprehensive Support and Improvement: Summer School Eligibility and Use

Comprehensive Support and Improvement funds originate federally under ESSA but pass through the California Department of Education, which shapes how they are distributed and what they require at the local level. By the time these dollars reach an LEA, they carry both federal requirements and state priorities, which is why they often feel more like a state program than a federal one.

Schools identified for CSI must partner with stakeholders to develop and implement a school improvement plan. Summer programming is a recognized strategy within those plans. Districts with CSI-eligible schools can incorporate summer school as part of a broader improvement strategy and use these funds to support it.

For the federal context behind CSI, including ESSA requirements and documentation considerations, see our federal funding page.

California Community Schools Partnership Program: Summer School Eligibility and Use

The California Community Schools Partnership Program supports the development of community schools that provide comprehensive services to students, families, and communities. Extended and enriched learning time beyond the traditional school day and year, including afterschool and summer programs, is a core component of the program model.

CCSPP funding runs through June 30, 2028 and supports three grant types: planning grants for new community schools, implementation grants for establishing or expanding community schools, and coordination grants for existing community school sites. Summer programming fits within the expanded learning time component across all three grant types.

For districts already operating or planning a community school model, CCSPP can be a meaningful supplemental source for summer programming alongside ELO-P and Nita M. Lowey funds.

Attendance Recovery: Summer School Eligibility and Use

California’s school funding model ties a portion of state dollars to average daily attendance, which means chronic absenteeism carries a direct funding cost for districts, not just an instructional one. Attendance recovery programs let districts offer supplemental instructional time, including intersession and summer programming, so students who missed instructional time can make it up and districts can recapture the associated attendance-based funding.

Some California districts have used this attendance-based funding to help underwrite summer school specifically, treating summer as the recovery window for students with high absenteeism during the regular year.

California has more dedicated summer school funding than most states. Our federal funding guide covers Title I, IDEA, and the documentation standards that apply no matter which state dollars you’re combining them with.

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How California Funding Layers with Federal Sources

California’s dedicated state funding sources work best when layered alongside federal formula funds. A typical California summer program funding stack might draw from ELO-P as the anchor, Nita M. Lowey for enrichment and family services components, Title I for academic instruction serving eligible students, and IDEA for students with IEPs requiring Extended School Year services.

Braiding these sources requires care. Federal funds like Title I carry supplement-not-supplant requirements that must be documented carefully when state dollars are in the same program. CSI funds can feel flexible but carry school improvement requirements that affect how they can be used. Our federal funding page covers the federal side of this equation in detail.

California districts navigating this for the first time often find that scoping program costs first, then mapping funding sources to specific cost categories, is the most reliable path to a compliant and complete funding stack. That path typically starts with ELO-P as the TK-6 anchor, layers Nita M. Lowey for enrichment and family engagement components, adds Title I for eligible schools serving broader grade bands, and brings in IDEA for any students whose IEPs require Extended School Year services. Each layer carries its own documentation trail: LCFF budget reporting for ELO-P, CDE grant terms for Nita M. Lowey, and supplement-not-supplant records for Title I and IDEA.