FBI raids LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's home, office

LOS ANGELES - Federal authorities descended upon multiple Los Angeles locations Wednesday morning, executing search warrants at both the primary administrative offices of the nation's second-largest school district and the private residence of its top official, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

LAUSD headquarters, Carvalho's home raided

What we know:

The FBI and Department of Justice both confirmed that agents are serving court-authorized warrants at Carvalho's office on the 24th floor at LAUSD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles and his home in San Pedro. 

Sources told FOX 11's Gigi Graciette that employees were evacuated from the headquarters.

SkyFOX was over Carvalho's home, where multiple FBI agents were seen going in and out of the residence carrying boxes of unspecified items. 

At one point, a neighbor with luggage in tow was escorted down the sidewalk by authorities.

Investigation's focus unknown

What we don't know:

District officials have not yet released a formal statement regarding the presence of federal agents at their facility. 

The specific focus of the investigation is currently unknown. 

Because the affidavits supporting the search warrants are sealed by a judge, the FBI has declined to provide details regarding what evidence they are seeking or whether the investigation is centered on Carvalho personally or broader district operations.

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It is also unclear if any arrests are planned or if other locations are being targeted.

Who is Alberto Carvalho?

The backstory:

Carvalho has served as the superintendent of LAUSD since February 2022 and was recently re-appointed to the position in September 2025. 

Before moving to Los Angeles, he spent 14 years leading Miami-Dade County Public Schools. 

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His district biography lists an extensive array of honors, including being named the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year and the 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year.

Prop 28 funds lawsuit

Local perspective:

Last year, former Superintendent Austin Beutner and a group of students sued LAUSD and Carvalho for allegedly misusing $76.7 million in Proposition 28 funds. 

The lawsuit claims the district violated the 2022 law by using the dedicated arts and music money to replace existing budgets rather than expanding programs, and by failing to meet the 80% hiring mandate for new staff. 

While the plaintiffs allege a "failure on both requirements," the district maintains it has strictly followed state implementation guidelines.

DOJ joins lawsuit against LAUSD

Big picture view:

Last week, the Trump administration moved to join a lawsuit alleging that the LAUSD discriminates against white students under its decades-old desegregation policy. 

Brought by the 1776 Project Foundation, a Billings, Montana-based conservative group, the federal civil rights suit contends the district's allegedly racially discriminatory policies systematically disadvantage certain students based on the racial makeup of their schools.

Filed in Los Angeles federal court last month, the complaint alleges LAUSD's use of race-based classifications to label schools as "PHBAO" – Predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Other non-Anglo — and to allocate benefits accordingly.

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Fewer than 100 schools in the district lack the PHBAO designation, and the suit alleges that students at these schools, including white and Middle Eastern students, are being denied equal access to educational resources and opportunities.

In its motion to intervene, the DOJ contends that LAUSD provides extra funding to the PHBAO schools to lower the student/teacher ratio by 5.5 students, and increase parent-teacher conferences. It also gives students wishing to transfer to a magnet program an admissions preference equal to that for an overcrowded school, the DOJ alleges, adding that LAUSD treats attending school with non-Whites as a disadvantage equal to attending an overcrowded school.

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Reaction

What they're saying:

Carvalho has not yet commented on the raid at his residence.

FOX 11 has reached out to Mayor Karen Bass and the LAUSD for comment.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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