SACRAMENTO – (INT) - The widely anticipated release of enrollment numbers for 2020–21 confirmed what California districts have known for months: enrollment has declined.

Statewide, public K–12 enrollment declined nearly 3%, or over 160,000 students, with kindergarten numbers falling most, by 12% compared to around 3% in grades 1 through 8. High school numbers increased, but by less than expected.

As funding ties directly to the number of enrolled pupils, schools could suffer fiscal consequences with continued declines.

The state had anticipated a spell of falling enrollment. Before the pandemic, the Department of Finance projected a decline of about three-tenths of a percent this year—instead, the rate was eight times higher, with much larger declines than expected in early elementary grades.

The largest declines for kindergarten were among African American (20%) and Native American (23%) students, at roughly twice as large as for Latino students (11%).

Asian American and Pacific Islander students (3%) saw the smallest drop. A similar demographic pattern held across later grades, but with smaller drops. Moreover, enrollment fell more among low-income students across grade levels (3.2% vs 1.7% statewide), although declines were smaller for white students.

Story Date: May 27, 2021