California Becomes First State To Require Ethnic Studies For High Schoolers

California Becomes First State To Require Ethnic Studies For High Schoolers

Starting with the class of 2030, California public high schools will offer ethnic studies as a required class for high school students.


California is the first state in the nation to require such a course. The Golden State has a wide mixture of ethnicities, broken down as 39% of state residents being Latino, 36% white, 15% Asian or Pacific Islander, 6% African American, and fewer than 1% Native American or Alaska Natives. An estimated 3% are multiracial or other, according to the statistics provided by 2019 American Community Survey, conducted by the US Census Bureau to determine where to disburse state and federal funding.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill on Friday authorizing the new class, which was approved by the state Board of Education in March. Newsom vetoed a similar measure last year, arguing it wasn’t inclusive enough.


Newsom said students “must understand our nation’s full history if we expect them to one day build a more just society. Ethnic studies courses enable students to learn their own stories — and those of their classmates.”