California teacher preparation programs enroll growing number of Hispanic candidates signaling a significant demographic shift in the teaching profession

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing recognizes the current and growing contributions of Hispanic educators during National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, 2025.

According to the latest 2023-24 Teacher Supply in California report, California is experiencing a steady increase over the past five years of new Hispanic teacher candidates enrolled in teacher preparation programs.

From the 2019-20 to 2023-24 school years, there has been a 23% increase of the proportion of new enrolled Hispanic teacher candidates with more than half of the candidates identifying as a race other than white.

Recent data from the California Department of Education indicate that just over 56% of TK-12 enrolled students identified as Hispanic/Latinx while most teachers are white.

"This growing alignment between future teacher demographics and student populations represents a critical step toward educational equity across the state," said Mary Vixie Sandy, executive director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

"When students have teachers who share their cultural background or language, it creates connections that enhance learning outcomes and builds pathways to success for California's increasingly diverse student population."

Anayeli Martinez is beginning her journey to become an educator as a resident in the Spanish Bilingual Teacher Residency Program in Madera. The collaborative effort between Fresno State and Madera Unified School District is California's only fully bilingual residency program in which candidates are placed in dual immersion classrooms, teaching primarily in Spanish. 

"My wish for future generations of students is that they do not feel like they lost a language in school but rather were able to develop and grow in both English and Spanish. My hope is that, unlike me, they will not have to rescue their native language in their adult years but rather are able to carry it with them to adulthood," Martinez said.

For Gladys Villanueva, the program's professor in residence and daughter of Mexican immigrants, the recent data hold professional and personal significance.

"It tells me that little by little, our classrooms are beginning to look more like the students we serve. As a Latina in higher education, it means so much to see more of our community stepping into the profession," said Villanueva who views National Hispanic Heritage Month as a time to honor the "strength, resilience, and brilliance of our communities."

"It reminds me of the sacrifices and dreams of our families, those who worked the fields, raised children, and built communities so that future generations could have access to education and other opportunities," she said.

An additional bright spot in the Teacher Supply in California report reveals an 18.2% year-over-year increase in the number of newly issued teaching credentials in the 2023-24 academic year, signaling a promising development in addressing the state's teacher shortage and the first surge in new teaching credentials issued since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Building on state investments

California has invested approximately $1.6 billion in the last decade to strengthen the teacher workforce with a focus on increasing teacher supply in shortage areas, improving affordability and access to teacher preparation, and incentivizing skilled teachers to work in high-need schools.

The state recently allotted $70 million to extend the Teacher Residency Program, $64 million to extend the Golden State Teacher Grant program, and $30 million to extend the National Board Certification program.

The 2025-26 education budget trailer bill also established a new Student Teacher Stipend Program to support prospective educators as they complete their required student teaching. The bill appropriates $300 million and, starting July 2026, will make $100 million available annually to participating school districts, county offices of education and charter schools to provide $10,000 stipends to each student teacher they employ.

For more information and guidance on how to become an educator in California, visit the Commission's Roadmap to Teaching.

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is an agency in the executive branch of California's government. The Commission serves as a state standards board for educator preparation, licensing and credentialing of professional educators, the enforcement of professional practices of educators, and the discipline of credential holders, all in California. It was created in 1970 by the Ryan Act and is the oldest of the autonomous state standards boards in the nation.

SOURCE California Commission on Teacher Credentialing