2026 OCAP State of the Child Report

COLLEGE READINESS OVERALL, THE PERCENTAGE OF COLLEGE READINESS IS INCREASING AMONG STUDENTS WHILE LOWER READINESS PERSISTS AMONG VULNERABLE GROUPS DESCRIPTION OF INDICATOR This indicator measures the percentage of high school graduates who completed the coursework required for admission to the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems.

Why is this indicator important?

Findings 1 • 53.7% of Riverside County graduates completed the UC/CSU A-G course

College readiness reflects whether high school graduates have completed the coursework required for admission to the University of California and California State University systems. Completion of these requirements indicates that students have attained foundational academic preparation for postsecondary education. Monitoring college readiness helps assess how effectively the K–12 system is preparing students for higher education and identifies disparities that may limit access to college and long-term economic opportunity.

requirements in 2024-2025, representing an increase from 47.9% in 2016-2017. In 2024 2025, Riverside County was just slightly below the statewide completion of 53.9%. • UC/CSU eligibility varied by student groups. Asian students had the highest eligibility while students enrolled in special-populations programs and economically disadvantaged students had lower eligibility. • Socioeconomically disadvantaged students demonstrated lower levels of UC/CSU eligibility compared to the overall graduating population. • Differences in college readiness across student groups reflect persistent inequities in access to rigorous coursework and academic support. • In 2025, 53.7 percent of Riverside County four year cohort graduates met A-G requirements for admission to UC and/or CSU, ranking 6th among the 10 largest counties in California. This represents an increase from 49.7 percent in 2024.

1 California Department of Education. (2025). Four-year adjusted cohort outcome data: Riverside County district report, 2024–25. DataQuest. https://dq.cde.ca.gov/ dataquest/

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