California school enrollment continues to drop as poor and homeless student numbers rise

"The gradual decline in California's public school enrollment indicates significant demographic shifts, with fewer school-age children and challenges impacting various districts financially."

"Thomas Dee, a Stanford professor, suggests that California's declining school enrollment stems from a combination of lower birth rates and families migrating out due to high living costs."

California's public school enrollment has dropped for the seventh consecutive year, with a current total of 5,806,221 students. This reflects challenges such as declining birth rates, families migrating out of the state, and increasing financial pressures on school districts. Notably, the 12th-grade enrollment (488,295) contrasts sharply with the 1st-grade figures (384,822), highlighting a concerning demographic decline. While low-income and homeless student numbers have risen, transitional kindergarten sees growth. Educational economist Thomas Dee emphasizes these demographic changes and the continuation of pandemic-related enrollment losses as significant factors in the current situation.

Read at Los Angeles Times