$I62 Million in CalKIDS Scholarships Available to San Bernardino County Students for College and Career Training 

For Roxanne Herrera, a mother of three, $500 goes quickly. But for her two youngest sons, it’s a head start on paying for college. 

“For them, it’s a lot of money,” Herrera said. “It’s motivation for them to do good in school, to get good grades.”

Herrera attended the CalKIDS scholarship event at Fontana High School on Thursday, Oct. 8. Until recently, Herrera said, she’d thought she’d wait until her kids were in high school before exploring ways to pay for college. Now she thinks differently.

“I learned today that there’s money for them, and we just need to apply for it,” Herrera said, after accompanying her youngest son, Ezekiel Herrera, a sixth grader at Fontana Middle School, to activate his CalKIDS account.  

Nearly $162 million in CalKIDS scholarships are available for more than 348,000 eligible San Bernardino County public school students, state and local education officials announced last Thursday. The program, which is in its fourth year, provides eligible students up to $1,500 for college and career training. 

The CalKIDS program automatically establishes college savings accounts for children born in California on or after July 1, 2022, regardless of family income, and low-income public school students in first through 12th grade. Students may also qualify if they are identified as foster youth or experiencing homelessness. 

Statewide, CalKIDS has set aside more than $2.4 billion in scholarships for over six million California children and public school students. The program is run by the ScholarShare Investment Board under the California State Treasurer’s Office. 

Fiona Ma, California state treasurer, joined San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre and Fontana education leaders on stage to encourage students and families to claim their scholarship accounts. There are 1,468 eligible students at Fontana High School alone. In Rialto, there are 5,711 eligible high school students across the city’s five high schools and 86% of students are eligible across the Rialto Unified School District’s elementary, middle and high schools, according to District Lead Counselor Kaishauna Johnson.

The initiative comes as many in the Inland Empire struggle to access post-secondary education. 

According to a 2025 report by the Public Policy Institute of California, only 57% of Inland Empire high school graduates enroll in college, compared with 65% statewide. In addition, just 31% of the region’s community college students transfer to a four-year institution, the lowest in the state.

These challenges come amid growing skepticism about the value of higher education nationwide. 

A recent Gallup poll shows that the perceived value of a college education has hit a 15 year  low, with only of 35% of Americans saying college is “very important”. Despite current attitudes, evidence shows that higher educational attainment leads to higher income and better health over the course of someone’s life.

Still, affordability is a substantial obstacle. 

According to an analysis by the Data Education Initiative, inflation-adjusted tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities has averaged a 5.90% increase every year since 1963. 

Following the passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) in 2025, families saving for college can expect more funding challenges as financial aid repayment programs and consumer protections are rolled back. The act will phase out more affordable income-driven repayment programs for the Repayment Assistance Program (RAP), hitting low- and middle-income students, students of color and their families especially hard. 

CalKIDS scholarships worth $500 to $1,500 only cover a fraction of these educational expenses. Ma acknowledged the program’s limitations but argued that its significance extends beyond the amount of money students receive. 

She said the program is intended to encourage students, particularly those whose parents never attended college, to envision post-secondary education as a realistic possibility. 

“So it’s just planting that seed for these young people,” Ma said. 

Alejandre, who described his own experience relying on a scholarship to attend California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB), echoed that sentiment.

As a high school student, Alejandre said he made good grades but didn’t picture college since his family lacked the resources. After delivering newspapers for about seven years he learned about the Frank Gannett newspaper scholarship, applied and received funding that helped cover his tuition fee and textbooks.

“If it wasn’t for that scholarship, I wouldn’t have gone to college,” Alejandre said.

When asked whether the modest CalKIDS scholarships were sufficient to make a meaningful difference, Alejandre said that even a little help can change student’s “mindset.”

“Now they’re thinking ‘I’m going to college,’” Alejandre said.“Then not just these resources, but other resources start to become available.”

Cassandra DiBenedetto, executive director of the ScholarShare Investment Board, said students often use their scholarship money to purchase textbooks or secure housing deposits while waiting for other financial aid to arrive. 

“That’s how CalKIDS really comes in to fill the gap,” DiBenedetto said.