By Ricardo Lezama 
Starting with the Class of 2030, California high school students must complete an ethnic studies course to graduate. The curriculum includes exploration of Chicano, African American, Asian American, and Native American histories. Schools across the state are beginning implementation, with Chicano movement content—such as the East LA Walkouts and the legacy of activists like Sal Castro—highlighted in pilot courses.
Educators say the program aims to improve cultural awareness and civic engagement among students. The law was first passed in 2021 and is now fully in effect across school districts.
Utility of Chicano studies
Historically, Chicano studies has been a proving ground for different social science and social scientist to dip their toes into community based research. Often without attribution research on social resiliency and culture will take us first premises to work conducted by Chicano investigators who are recounting historical events, and resistance of a broader range of people in a more specific focus.
Assembly Bill 101 and the Model Curriculum
In October 2021, California became the first state to mandate Ethnic Studies for high school graduation when Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 101 into law. The bill directs all public high schools to offer at least a one-semester ethnic studies course beginning in the 2025–26 school year, and makes successful completion of that course a requirement for the graduating class of 2030 (i.e. the Class of 2029–30), though only “upon appropriation” of state funding for its implementation . To guide local districts, the State Board of Education in March 2021 approved a nearly 700-page Model Curriculum defining ethnic studies as an interdisciplinary exploration of the histories, cultures, struggles, and contributions of African American, Latino, Native American, and Asian American communities .
Pilot Programs and Early Adopters
Even before the statewide rollout, several large districts moved ahead on their own timelines. Los Angeles Unified School District voted to require a course by 2023–24, Fresno Unified mandated two semesters for new cohorts, and San Francisco Unified planned two semesters starting in 2028—reflecting a patchwork of early adoption that gave roughly half of California students access to ethnic studies courses as of 2020. A number of smaller districts, such as Fremont Unified, have also launched pilot classes in 2024–25 ahead of the statewide offering deadline.