California 20252026 Regular Session Status: Introduced 1 D cosponsors

AB 1631 — Elementary education: kindergarten.

Last action — In committee: Held under submission.

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Assembly. Introduced January 26, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Stalled 28% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Under existing law, a person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not exempted by law is subject to compulsory full-time education. Existing law excludes a child under 6 years of age from the public schools, subject to specified exceptions. Existing law requires a school district maintaining a kindergarten to admit a child who will have their 5th birthday on or before September 1 of the school year. Existing law also requires a child who will have their 6th birthday on or before September 1 of the school year to be admitted to the first grade of an elementary school. Existing law authorizes a child who has been lawfully admitted to a public school kindergarten or a private school kindergarten in California and who is judged by the administration of the school district to be ready for first-grade work to be admitted to the first grade, as specified. This bill would require a public elementary school, including a charter school, to ensure that a child is not admitted to the first grade unless the child has completed one year of kindergarten if the child will have their 6th birthday (1) between July 1, 2028, and September 1, 2028, inclusive, for the 2028–29 school year, (2) between May 1, 2029, and September 1, 2029, inclusive, for the 2029–30 school year, (3) between March 1, 2030, and September 1, 2030, inclusive, for the 2030–31 school year, and (4) on or before September 1 for the 2031–32 school year and each school year thereafter, except for a child who has been lawfully admitted to a public school kindergarten or a private school kindergarten in California, but has not yet completed one school year, and is judged to be ready for first-grade work, as specified. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. In committee: Held under submission.

  2. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  3. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  4. Read second time and amended.

  5. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (March 18).

  6. Referred to Com. on ED.

  7. From printer. May be heard in committee February 26.

  8. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 2 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

Passed 6 Yea · 2 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 6000
Republican 0200
Total 6200
% of votes cast 75%25%0%0%
How each member voted (8)
Member Party Vote
Alvarez, David Democratic Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Garcia, Robert Democratic Yea
Lowenthal, Josh Democratic Yea
Patel, Darshana R. Democratic Yea
Zbur, Rick Chavez Democratic Yea
Castillo, Leticia Republican Nay
Hoover, Josh Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 1631 do?
Under existing law, a person between 6 and 18 years of age who is not exempted by law is subject to compulsory full-time education. Existing law excludes a child under 6 years of age from the public schools, subject to specified exceptions. Existing law requires a school district maintaining a kindergarten to admit a child who will have their 5th birthday on or before September 1 of the school year. Existing law also requires a child who will have their 6th birthday on or before September 1 of the school year to be admitted to the first grade of an elementary school. Existing law authorizes a child who has been lawfully admitted to a public school kindergarten or a private school kindergarten in California and who is judged by the administration of the school district to be ready for first-grade work to be admitted to the first grade, as specified. This bill would require a public elementary school, including a charter school, to ensure that a child is not admitted to the first grade unless the child has completed one year of kindergarten if the child will have their 6th birthday (1) between July 1, 2028, and September 1, 2028, inclusive, for the 2028–29 school year, (2) between May 1, 2029, and September 1, 2029, inclusive, for the 2029–30 school year, (3) between March 1, 2030, and September 1, 2030, inclusive, for the 2030–31 school year, and (4) on or before September 1 for the 2031–32 school year and each school year thereafter, except for a child who has been lawfully admitted to a public school kindergarten or a private school kindergarten in California, but has not yet completed one school year, and is judged to be ready for first-grade work, as specified. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Who sponsors AB 1631?
AB 1631 is sponsored by Muratsuchi, Al (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 1631?
This bill has been introduced in the Assembly. Introduced January 26, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track AB 1631?
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