Election 2026

The November 3 election will reshape legislatures. Stay current on every seat, staff, and committee change with GovBuddy.

Stay Current
GovBuddy
Menu
GovBuddy

Connect, Connect Plus, and Engage, from access to professional intelligence.

ProductsConnectConnect PlusEngageExploreAudit BillsBillsCommitteesDirectoryMorePlansStoreBlogContact
Home/Bills/AB 2158California · 2025–2026 Regular Session
Assembly BillPassed first houseEducation

AB 2158: Pupil instruction: outdoor learning.

California · Assembly · 2025–2026 Regular Session · last verified August 15, 2026

What AB 2158 does, verified August 15, 2026

<p>This bill encourages school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to integrate outdoor learning into their curriculum across all subjects. It requires the state department of education to develop statewide guidance on outdoor learning and maintain it on its website by July 1, 2028. The department must consult with various stakeholders including educators, tribal partners, and environmental experts in this process.</p> <p>The bill also establishes a three-year pilot program for outdoor learning, funded through legislative appropriation. This program will award grants to six sites across northern, southern, and central California to investigate the effectiveness of outdoor learning on pupil outcomes. By December 31 of the final year, the superintendent must publish a report summarizing the findings.</p>

Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Held under submission. (2026-08-13)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Asm. Josh HooverAuthor · California State Assembly
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlock
Coauthors
Jesse ArreguínRobert GarciaStephanie NguyenKate SanchezRick Chavez ZburRhodesia Ransom
Recent actions18 total · showing 5
Aug. 13, 2026In committee: Held under submission.
Aug. 03, 2026In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
Jul. 02, 2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
Jun. 22, 2026From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on ED.
Jun. 10, 2026Referred to Com. on ED.
Full action history, 13 earlier actionsConnect Plus
Latest bill textAmended version, June 22, 2026 · 1,697 words

Amended IN Senate June 22, 2026
Amended IN Assembly April 13, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2158

Introduced by Assembly Members Hoover and Lowenthal
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ransom, Garcia, Nguyen, Sanchez, and Zbur)
(Coauthor: Senator Arreguín)

February 18, 2026

An act to add Article 9.5 (commencing with Section 51805) to Chapter 5 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of, and to repeal Section 51805.8 of, of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2158, as amended, Hoover. Pupil instruction: outdoor learning.
Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary education in this state. Under this system, local educational agencies throughout the state provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and existing law establishes courses of study for those pupils.
This bill would encourage school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to integrate outdoor learning into standards-aligned instruction across all grades and subject areas, as provided.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Education under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and assigns the department numerous duties relating to the governance and funding of local educational agencies.
This bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2028, to develop curate and maintain on its internet website statewide guidance resources for educators on outdoor learning. The bill would also require encourage the department, in carrying out these provisions, to consult with county offices of education, classroom educators, tribal partners, mental and physical health professionals and researchers, environmental literacy experts, and community organizations with experience in outdoor learning. The bill would authorize the department, subject to an appropriation, department to provide resources to address the particular needs of each local educational agency. The bill would authorize the department to accept voluntary contributions to be deposited into the Outdoor Learning and Environmental Literacy Account, which the bill would create in the State Treasury, to fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the costs of these provisions.

This bill would establish the Statewide Outdoor Learning Pilot Program for a period of 3 years following an appropriation of funds for this purpose to, among other things, investigate the effectiveness of outdoor learning in improving pupil outcomes, and gather statewide evidence to inform future legislative and budgetary decisions. The bill would require the Superintendent to, as part of this pilot program, award grants to six pilot sites with representation from northern, southern, and central California. The bill would require the Superintendent, by December 31 of the final year of the pilot program, to publish a final report summarizing, among other things, the outcomes of the pilot program. The bill would make the pilot program subject to an appropriation by the Legislature.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Outdoor Learning and Environmental Literacy Act of 2026.

SEC. 2.

Article 9.5 (commencing with Section 51805) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

Article 9.5. Outdoor Learning

51805.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) Senate Bill 720 of the 2017–18 Regular Session established environmental literacy as a statewide priority. It affirmed that all pupils should have equitable access to learning experiences that prepare them to understand and address environmental challenges.
(2) Outdoor learning, the regular, structured instructional activities that take place in outdoor environments, strengthens environmental literacy and overall academic achievement, improves pupil engagement, improves mental and physical health, deepens connections to local communities and ecosystems, and prepares pupils for science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and natural resource-related careers.
(3) Pupils who are unduplicated, as defined in Section 42238.02, live in low-income communities and communities, or live in communities disproportionately burdened by pollution or other environmental harms often have the least access to safe, developmentally appropriate outdoor learning environments. environments, and these are the same pupils who can benefit most from these experiences.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to extend the environmental literacy foundation established by Senate Bill 720 of the 2017–18 Regular Session by clarifying that outdoor learning is an effective instructional method and by providing statewide guidance resources and support to ensure equitable access for all pupils. pupils, beginning with those with the greatest need.

51805.2.

For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Environmental literacy” means the understanding of, and ability to, apply the environmental principles and concepts developed pursuant to Section 71301 of the Public Resources Code.
(b) “Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.
(c) “Outdoor learning” means instructional activities occurring in outdoor settings, including, but not limited to, schoolyards, gardens, campuses, green spaces, community spaces, local parks, public lands, residential outdoor schools, outdoor environmental education facilities, coastal and watershed areas, and other natural or built outdoor environments.

(d)“Pilot program” or “program” means the Statewide Outdoor Learning Pilot Program established pursuant to Section 51805.8.

51805.4.

(a) Outdoor learning is hereby recognized as an effective and developmentally appropriate instructional method that improves mental and physical health, environmental literacy, climate resilience, student engagement, attention and concentration, and whole-child development.
(b) Local educational agencies are encouraged to integrate outdoor learning into standards-aligned instruction across all grades and subject areas, including, but not limited to, science, history-social science, mathematics, English language arts, health, physical education, and visual and performing arts.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to mandate a specific curriculum.

51805.6.

(a) On or before July 1, 2028, the department shall develop curate and maintain on its internet website statewide guidance resources for educators on outdoor learning.
(b) The guidance developed resources curated and maintained pursuant to subdivision (a) shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:
(1) Best practices for delivering standards-aligned instruction in outdoor settings.
(2) Safety and risk management considerations.
(3) Strategies to ensure equitable access for unduplicated pupils, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 42238.02, pupils with disabilities, and pupils from historically underserved communities.
(4) Models and approaches for enhancing outdoor learning environments on school sites. schoolsites and on offsite field trips.
(5) Strategies for partnering with community-based organizations, park agencies, tribes, and outdoor education providers.
(c) In carrying out this section, the department shall is encouraged to consult with county offices of education, classroom educators, tribal partners, mental and physical health professionals and researchers, environmental literacy experts, and community organizations with experience in outdoor learning, and the department may collaborate with nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, and other entities with demonstrated expertise in environmental literacy and outdoor learning to support the curation, maintenance, and dissemination of the guidance developed resources curated and maintained pursuant to subdivision (a).
(d) (1) Subject to an appropriation for this purpose, the The department may provide resources to address the particular needs of each local educational agency, including professional development for teachers, transportation, contract fees for community-based organizations and residential outdoor schools, equipment, instructional materials, and outdoor classroom furniture.
(2) Resources provided pursuant to paragraph (1) shall align with the guidance developed resources curated and maintained pursuant to subdivision (a).
(e) The department may accept voluntary contributions, in cash or in-kind, to pay for the costs of implementation of this section. These private donations shall be deposited into the Outdoor Learning and Environmental Literacy Account, which is hereby created in the State Treasury, in which moneys in the fund shall be available to the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of implementing this section.

51805.8.

(a)The Statewide Outdoor Learning Pilot Program is hereby established for a period of three years following an appropriation of funds made for this purpose. The pilot program shall serve all of the following purposes:

(1)Investigate the effectiveness of outdoor learning in improving pupil outcomes, including attendance, engagement, academic achievement, environmental literacy, mental and physical health, and preparation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and natural resources-related careers.

(2)Gather statewide evidence to inform future legislative and budgetary decisions.

(3)Support partnerships between local educational agencies and community-based outdoor learning providers.

(4)Prioritize implementation among unduplicated pupils, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 42238.02, and in communities historically underserved or disproportionately burdened by environmental harms.

(b)As part of this pilot program, the Superintendent shall award grants to six pilot sites, with representation from northern, southern, and central California.

(1)To the extent practicable, the six pilot sites shall include diversity in community type, grade span, and program model.

(2)Each pilot site selected for a grant shall include both of the following:

(A)A local educational agency.

(B)One or more community-based outdoor learning providers.

(c)The Superintendent shall select a single statewide evaluator to assess the impact of the pilot program. The Superintendent may authorize site-specific evaluators if they adopt a common evaluation framework that makes cross-site analysis possible.

(d)The Superintendent may develop a summary of the pilot program to publish publicly to the department’s internet website. The summary may include, but is not limited to, information regarding the pilot program sites, program design, outcomes of the pilot program, potential improvements for future outdoor learning programs, and recommendations for broad statewide implementation of successful approaches.

(e)Funds appropriated for purposes of the pilot program may be used by the Superintendent for program implementation, evaluation, communications with grantees, communication with other stakeholders, coordination of the pilot program, pilot site visits, and statewide learning community activities.

(f)(1)By December 31 of the final year of the pilot program, the Superintendent shall publish a final report summarizing the outcomes of the pilot program, lessons learned from the pilot program, and recommendations for statewide expansion of outdoor learning to the department’s internet website.

(2)The report developed pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the Legislature in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(g)This section shall be operative only upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or in another statute for this purpose.

(h)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2032, and as of that date is repealed.

Text of AB 2158 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions
GovBuddy Demo

See how GovBuddy fits your team.

Share a few details and our team will follow up with a focused walkthrough.