How the federal government shutdown will affect California’s schools and students

For California students, parents and schools, there are many concerns about the federal government shutdown, the first since 2018.

In the short term, Californians should see no changes. The U.S. Department of Education has said it will continue to move forward with many of its responsibilities, including financial aid dollars for college students and money for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Title I schools. Most grant funding to schools won’t be affected either, since that money is largely issued over the summer.

But 87% of the department’s workforce will be furloughed, and it won’t be issuing any new federal grants. Investigations into civil rights complaints made by students and families through the department’s Office for Civil Rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws, will also pause.

Here’s what to know about the potential impacts for students and schools in California — including if the shutdown is prolonged.

Students with disabilities

The majority of funding for California students with disabilities comes from state and local sources, which remains uninterrupted. A portion of the federal funding distributed to implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which protects students with disabilities, will be sustained, according to the federal Department of Education’s shutdown plan.

But for disabled students, the shutdown adds to ongoing uncertainty with the planned furlough of the majority of employees at the federal Department of Education.

Earlier this year, the only Office for Civil Rights office in California was shuttered. Over half of the pending cases the office had at the time were related to disability rights. Now, as the shutdown begins, any ongoing civil rights reviews and investigations are to be paused, according to the federal Department of Education.

Head Start

In the past, government shutdowns haven’t led to major consequences for Head Start, the free, federally funded preschool program, according to the National Head Start Association. And it is unlikely that this shutdown will have any negative impacts on the program, which is run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Most Head Start preschools across the country have already had funding approved. And according to Head Start, programs nationwide will remain open, and its employees will continue to work, as they are not federal employees.

“Head Start is still fully operational in California. All of our centers are open. Everyone is funded,” said Melanee Cottrill, the executive director of Head Start California. “Anyone who is enrolled in, or works at, a Head Start program should feel completely comfortable they are still open for the month of October.”

But the program warns that the risk of classroom closures and staff furloughs will grow if the shutdown continues for weeks or months.

Specifically, Cottrill said that if the shutdown continues past October, a small number of California programs — particularly those whose grants that start in November or December — could be impacted.

“We know children cannot put their development on pause while politics play out,” Yasmina Vinci, the executive director of the National Head Start Association, said in a statement. “As Congress moves forward, we urge lawmakers from both parties not only to resolve this shutdown but also to provide the increased funding needed to keep Head Start strong and sustainable.”

Students experiencing homelessness

While federal dollars cover only a fraction of homeless student funding in California, they offer one of the few dedicated sources of funding for this group of students.

Some federal programs, like Education for Homeless Children and Youths, which provides dedicated funding for students experiencing homelessness, are expected to remain intact for now as the funding was awarded earlier this year.

But applicants to other programs, such as the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, were expecting to be notified in the coming days whether they will be awarded a grant in 2025. If an applicant hasn’t received an update regarding award approval, it is likely the announcement will be delayed, with the majority of staff on temporary leave.

Advocates are recommending that anyone waiting for new grant awards should not expect to receive any notice or new funds during the shutdown and should plan for gaps in funding.

What’s different from prior shutdowns is that some advocates are extending that recommendation to grantees whose applications have been approved. Drawing from some awarded funds now requires additional approval from federal employees, many of whom are expected to be furloughed, which was not needed during prior shutdowns.

As such, the longer the shutdown, the higher the chances of service interruptions for youths.

Higher education

Some graduate student researchers might see an interruption in their pay, but additional impacts on higher education in California so far appear to be insignificant or unknown.

The University of California gets support from the federal government for student aid, research and patient care. UC said Wednesday that it is too early to know what the shutdown would mean for the system’s 10 campuses and six medical centers, adding that the impacts will depend on the length of the shutdown and on guidance from federal agencies.

“The University urges Congress and the White House to reach agreement to reopen the government and make robust investments in UC’s federal education, research and health care programs that are critical to the university achieving our mission and to keeping California at the forefront of innovation,” UC added in its statement.

However, some postdocs and graduate student researchers get fellowship funding directly from the federal government and may be affected. Guidance shared on Wednesday by UC Berkeley states that those students “should expect not to receive payments” during the shutdown, though they might be eligible for emergency grants from the campus.

The Berkeley guidance also notes that grant payments, new funding and communication with federal agencies will stop during the shutdown. Still, the shutdown doesn’t mean researchers must stop work on federally funded projects. Berkeley plans to “manage cash flows so research can continue in the immediate term,” the guidance states.

And in the California State University system, officials with the San Diego State University Research Foundation told researchers to “anticipate that awards, disbursements, and communications from agencies will be delayed for some time even after the shutdown is resolved.”

The lapse in federal funding should have “minimal impact” on financial aid for students, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid says. Under a contingency plan unveiled by the U.S. Department of Education early this week, Pell Grants and federal direct student loans that help students pay for college will continue flowing. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form — a critical part of how colleges determine aid for students — will remain open. And borrowers should keep making payments on federal student loans.

The 2026-27 FAFSA has been online and available since Sept. 24. California started processing FAFSA forms and opened applications for the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) — which lets undocumented students and students from mixed-status families access state aid without filling out the federal form — on Oct. 1.

Daisy Gonzales, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, said the commission’s call centers are open to field queries about both the CADAA and the FAFSA, and that she’s optimistic about the start of the financial aid cycle. But if the shutdown extends later into the academic year, she added, that could impact the typical timeline for colleges to issue financial aid packages to students for the 2026-27 academic year.

“That’s really what we should be really concerned about as voters, as Californians, because we need a solution by then,” Gonzales said. “We need to be able to provide students and families clarity on how much aid is available for their students to be able to access higher education.”

Will the California Department of Education be impacted?

So far, the California Department of Education (CDE) doesn’t anticipate any impacts on the state agency.

“While the CDE is currently evaluating any such impact, we do not anticipate any immediate disruption to CDE operations or funding for critical local educational agency programs due to a potential federal government shutdown,” read a statement from Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Ingrid Roberson and Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction/Chief of Staff David Schapira, issued Sept. 29, before the shutdown went into effect.

What happens if the shutdown goes on for longer than expected?

The U.S. Department of Education has said that if the shutdown persists beyond a week, it will revise its contingency plan and limit disruptions for schools.

But some education leaders, including Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo, remain concerned that prolonging the shutdown could lead to uncertainty for districts as they continue their budgeting and could jeopardize early childhood services, nutrition programs and support for English learners and vulnerable student groups.

“The longer the shutdown persists, the greater the strain on school districts, educators and parents who are doing everything they can to fill the gaps,” Duardo said in a statement.