Imagine a future in which all California students have equal opportunity to pursue training and education that connects their strengths, passions, and goals to well-paid and fulfilling career opportunities.

The California College Guidance Initiative works to realize this vision by smoothing the path to college and career for California students and unifying the efforts of the institutions that serve them. Combining data-driven tools and infrastructure with student-focused curricula and capacity building, we help close the gaps between systems and ensure that all California students, especially those who have been underrepresented in higher education, can move seamlessly from K-12 to college and career.

Through CaliforniaColleges.edu, CCGI provides students with in-depth, grade-appropriate information and data-driven tools to support college, career, and financial aid planning and applications. Counselors and educators can access a comprehensive suite of reporting tools that automate routine tasks and help quickly identify students who need more help. We also work across systems, helping K-12 districts expand their capacity to manage and use student data while supporting higher education and financial aid systems in streamlining application processes and improving the flow of student transcript data.

Housed at the Foundation of California Community Colleges, CCGI was launched in 2013 in a handful of school districts. Today, we support more than 100 districts that serve more than 850,000 California 6th-12th grade students. That’s larger than the entire K-12 systems of 28 U.S. states.  

California's newly-launched Cradle-to-Career System uses CCGI as the core of its college planning and application tools. Through the Cradle-to-Career System, CCGI's transcript-informed tools will be available to all California K-12 districts over the next few years. 

Learn more at CAcollegeguidance.org.