Dee said a substantial amount of enrollment decline is due to lower birth rates, families moving out of the state, and a rise in private school and homeschooling enrollment. The most recent state data shows enrollment in homeschools almost doubled from 25,423 in 2018–19 to 49,402 in 2023–24, while private school enrollment increased from 521,116 to 551,052.
Districts that saw substantial enrollment declines “cannot expect these families to come back anytime soon,” Dee said. “They’ll have to reckon with the financial implications of underpopulated schools that still have the same number of staff.”
Growing enrollment for transitional kindergarten and dual language programs slowed the overall decline. The number of TK students grew 17.2%, from 151,491 to 177,570, while most other grade levels saw a dip in enrollment.
“While we have more work to do, the dramatic growth in TK is inspiring and shows that providing rigorous and quality programs can be a key ingredient to bringing more families back to our schools,” Tony Thurmond, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, said in a statement.
