Since taking over the nation’s second-largest school district in 2022, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s tenure at Los Angeles Unified has been marked by ambitious reform efforts alongside political and legal challenges.
Carvalho arrived in Los Angeles in February 2022 after 14 years leading the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he earned national recognition and was named National Superintendent of the Year. He was unanimously selected by the LAUSD board, which voted last September to renew his contract for another four years.
He stepped into the role as the district was grappling with widening achievement gaps, pandemic-driven learning loss and long-standing equity challenges. Despite these challenges, district officials say student outcomes have improved during his tenure.
During his time in Los Angeles, the district has reported notable academic gains. LAUSD officials recently highlighted increases in advanced placement participation and qualifying exam scores, along with improvements in English and math scores across all tested grade levels, surpassing pre-pandemic performance.
Carvalho has credited targeted support strategies for narrowing achievement gaps. District data shows improvement among Black, Latino and low-income students, as well as gains in campuses participating in the Black Student Achievement Plan.
Attendance has also rebounded in recent years, with daily attendance rising and chronic absenteeism declining from pandemic-era highs.
Carvalho’s tenure has also unfolded amid broader crises in Los Angeles. Schools in the Pacific Palisades were damaged or destroyed during last year’s wildfires, forcing temporary relocations.
District officials have since highlighted rebuilding progress, including the return of students to Palisades Charter High School in January after months at a temporary Santa Monica site.
At the same time, intensified federal immigration enforcement actions in Southern California have heightened tensions across school communities, prompting district leaders to reiterate policies aimed at protecting student access to campuses.
Still, Carvalho’s time leading LAUSD has also been marked by high-profile legal battles and political disputes.
Last week, the US Department of Justice moved to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging the district’s longstanding desegregation policy. A district spokesperson said LAUSD is unable to comment on the specifics of the litigation, but “remains firmly committed to ensuring all students have meaningful access to services and enriching educational opportunities.”
Carvalho also drew national attention last year for his response to immigration enforcement actions that affected students and families in Los Angeles. After immigration officers attempted to enter two South Los Angeles elementary campuses, he publicly pushed back and said the district would protect students’ access to school. Carvalho, who immigrated to the United States from Portugal as a teenager and has said he was undocumented at the time, has said he would defend immigrant families even at personal or professional risk.
The district also faced scrutiny over its $6 million contract with AllHere, the startup behind an AI chatbot known as “Ed.” After the company collapsed and furloughed most of its staff, the chatbot was taken offline. Federal prosecutors later charged the company’s former CEO in a fraud case involving investor disclosures.
Labor tensions have surfaced as well. Members of United Teachers Los Angeles recently authorized a potential strike amid contract negotiations.
Meanwhile, former Superintendent Austin Beutner has filed a lawsuit alleging misuse of millions of Proposition 28 arts funding — a claim the district disputes.
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