April 4, 2023

California's TK-12 enrollment fails to rebound in a return to 'normalcy'

Drop of less than 1% in enrollment is less severe than during Covid but consistent with the decline that started 20 years ago and is projected to continue for the rest of the decade.

John Fensterwald And Daniel J. Willis

May 27, 2022

Schools adapt in a shrinking Los Angeles Unified

Shrinking schools are reinventing themselves as LAUSD plans a future with dramatically fewer students.

Kate Sequeira

May 17, 2022

In the San Joaquin Valley, rapidly growing school districts endure overcrowding

As the cost of housing in the Bay Area and coastal Southern California drives families inland in search of relief, some school districts in the vast San Joaquin Valley contend with rapid enrollment growth.

Emma Gallegos

May 9, 2022

Bay Area schools see families leave cities, flock to suburbs

While the Bay Area had modest school enrollment growth over the past 20 years, suburban districts saw an influx of new students while city districts lost thousands as families sought affordable housing.

Ali Tadayon

May 4, 2022

Class of 2022

For the first time in two decades, California’s K-12 enrollment dropped under 6 million students, a sure sign that many students did not return after the pandemic. But within the state, there was movement: sharp enrollment declines in coastal counties and sharp increases inland. This reporting series from EdSource looks at the changes and trends in California public school enrollment.

EdSource staff

May 2, 2022

Growing suburban Sacramento school districts spared state's declining enrollment

New housing construction in suburbs around Sacramento have saved some school districts in the region from the belt-tightening that comes with declining student enrollment. 

Diana Lambert

April 25, 2022

A new chapter for charter schools in California as enrollment drops for first time in 3 decades

With California charter school enrollment declining for the first time in three decades, operators and funders look to new areas of the state for future growth.

John Fensterwald

April 21, 2022

Empty classrooms and quiet hallways: California's rural far north grapples with declining enrollment

Enrollment has dropped more than 5% in rural Northern California over the past 20 years, with some districts seeing drops of 50% or more.

Carolyn Jones

April 21, 2022

California's Enrollment Rollercoaster

For the first time in two decades, California’s K-12 enrollment dropped under 6 million students, a sure sign that many students did not return after the pandemic. But within the state, there was movement: sharp enrollment declines in coastal counties and sharp increases inland. This reporting series from EdSource looks at the changes and trends in California public school enrollment.

EdSource staff

April 11, 2022

California K-12 enrollment plunges again, falls below 6 million

Led by continued hemorrhaging of student enrollment in Los Angeles County and parts of the Bay Area, total public school enrollment in California dropped by 110,000 this year, the second year of big losses.

John Fensterwald And Daniel J. Willis

April 11, 2022

Updated with 2021-22 data: Pandemic drop in K-12 California enrollment caps two decades of swings

View and interact with school enrollment data showing regional changes in California over the last two decades.

Yuxuan Xie And Daniel J. Willis

March 25, 2022

Attendance or enrollment: How should California schools be funded?

Roundtable panelists discussed the pros and cons of shifting California schools from an attendance-based funding formula to an enrollment-based formula.

Kate Sequeira

March 21, 2022

We must focus on equity as California tackles declining enrollment

As California policymakers grapple with the fiscal implications of declining school enrollment, they must seize the opportunity to address equity.

Robert Manwaring

March 2, 2022

New LAUSD superintendent on enrollment declines, school choice and Covid | Q&A

Los Angeles Unified's new superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, talks to EdSource about his goals for the district regarding the pandemic, equity, and other issues.

Kate Sequeira

October 18, 2021

Projected K-12 drops in enrollment pose immediate upheaval and decade-long challenge

Once past Covid disruptions, many school districts face a long-term predicament: budget cuts forced by projected declines in enrollment.

John Fensterwald