Research shows children with poor oral health are nearly three times more likely to miss school than their healthier peers which can lead to lower academic performance and ability to succeed in school. Furthermore, poor oral health remains one of the top reasons why California students miss school, resulting in a loss of $28 million per year to school districts. Oral health education provided in schools is one of several strategies identified to help improve children's health outcomes. However, due to a lack of accountability and the current curriculum, oral health education in schools has occurred unevenly and has been mostly provided by non-school staff. This brief outlines the status of oral health education provided in California's TK-12 schools and legislative and regulatory policy pathways that partners can pursue in order to ensure students are learning the importance of the connection between oral health to overall health and the hygiene and behaviors necessary to stay in school ready to learn. [This report was supported by the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation.]