Historic Walkout Shuts Down LA Schools, Impacting 390,000 Students

Three unions representing teachers, staff, and principals will strike, leaving families scrambling for childcare.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 2:51am

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A bold, colorful silkscreen-style illustration of a school bus icon repeated in a grid pattern, capturing the disruption and impact of the LAUSD strike on the community.The coordinated strike by teachers, staff, and administrators will disrupt the daily routines of hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles families.Los Angeles Today

Los Angeles' public schools will be closed starting Tuesday after three major unions representing teachers, non-teaching staff, and school administrators failed to reach new contract agreements with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The walkout will impact over 390,000 students and their families, who are now left to find alternative childcare options.

Why it matters

This is the first time in LAUSD history that three major unions have coordinated a joint strike, signaling a significant escalation in labor tensions. The disruption to schooling and family schedules will have widespread impacts across the nation's second-largest school district, where over 86% of students come from low-income households.

The details

Two of the three unions - United Teachers Los Angeles and Associated Administrators of Los Angeles/Teamsters 2010 - reached deals with the district over the weekend. However, marathon negotiations failed to produce an agreement with the third union, Local 99 of Service Employees International Union, which represents about 30,000 school support staff.

  • The strike will begin on Tuesday, April 15, 2026.
  • Contract negotiations between the unions and LAUSD have been ongoing for several months.

The players

United Teachers Los Angeles

The union representing teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Associated Administrators of Los Angeles/Teamsters 2010

The union representing principals and assistant principals in LAUSD.

Local 99 of Service Employees International Union

The union representing about 30,000 school support staff in LAUSD, including teacher aides, campus aides, gardeners, custodians, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers.

Los Angeles Unified School District

The public school district serving the city of Los Angeles, the second-largest in the United States.

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What’s next

The strike is expected to continue until a new contract agreement is reached between the unions and LAUSD. The district has stated it will keep schools open with limited services, but it remains unclear how long families can sustain alternative childcare arrangements.

The takeaway

This historic coordinated strike by three major unions in LAUSD highlights the growing labor tensions in the district and the significant impact that school disruptions can have on low-income families who rely on public schools for not just education, but also essential services like meals and childcare.