Thousands of Temecula students have free college scholarship money sitting unclaimed in state accounts, according to Riverside County Office of Education data.
Across Riverside County, students have claimed more than $60 million through the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS). Another $178 million in CalKIDS funds has been designated for county students who haven't yet claimed their accounts, RCOE reported.
More Riverside County students have claimed CalKIDS accounts than in any other California county. Nearly 60% of eligible high school students countywide have claimed accounts. The next-closest county is Monterey, at 34%.
But the picture varies sharply within Temecula Valley Unified School District.
Great Oak High leads TVUSD with an 82.73% claim rate among its 666 eligible students. Chaparral High follows at 79.62%, with 836 of 1,050 eligible students claiming accounts. Rancho Vista High sits at 64.38%, and Temecula Valley High at 62.44%, with 527 of 844 eligible students claiming.
The numbers drop at the middle school level. Erle Stanley Gardner Middle has the district's highest middle school rate at 56.55%. Margarita Middle sits at 17.63%, with just 61 of 346 eligible students claiming. Bella Vista Middle and James L. Day Middle both fall below 21%.
Elementary schools trail further. Vintage Hills Elementary has claimed just 24 of 116 eligible accounts. Crowne Hill Elementary has claimed 17 of 94.
No TVUSD school has reached 100%. Countywide, 19 schools have hit that mark, including Lasselle Elementary, West Riverside Elementary and San Jacinto Leadership Academy, according to RCOE.
Edwin Gomez, Riverside County superintendent of schools, said in the RCOE announcement that the county is proud to lead California in CalKIDS claims and that the effort is making higher education "more accessible than ever to change the trajectories of generations to come."
Gomez's office launched an online dashboard in 2024 tracking CalKIDS enrollment at all 515 public schools in the county. In 2026, the state followed that model. The ScholarShare Investment Board and the California Student Aid Commission created a statewide dashboard tracking high school CalKIDS enrollment, according to RCOE.
CalKIDS launched in 2022 as the nation's largest state-funded college savings program. The ScholarShare Investment Board, chaired by State Treasurer Fiona Ma, administers it. The program awards up to $1,500 to eligible public school students.
Low-income or English learner students, foster youth and homeless youth can qualify for additional $500 awards in each applicable category. Children born in California on or after July 1, 2022, receive accounts worth up to $175.
Claiming requires no essays, GPA minimums or application fees. Families can check eligibility and claim accounts at CalKIDS.org. The funds can cover tuition, fees, books, room and board, and computer equipment at eligible colleges, universities, vocational schools and community colleges nationwide, according to CalKIDS.
CalKIDS is hosting free online webinars on Oct. 27, Nov. 19 and Dec. 10, all from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific time. RSVP is required through the CalKIDS website.
