California’s Public Schools Lose Another 40,000 Students

California school enrollment numbers have declined again during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Enrollment for the current academic year fell by 40,000, representing a 0.69% decline.

The California Department of Education emphasized that enrollment decline is slowing. But that’s largely a messaging tack. 

“I know the state frame is: Enrollment has stabilized. But at some level, that’s missing the point, which is that these kids aren’t coming back,” Stanford Graduate School of Education Professor Thomas Deetold the Los Angeles Times. “We haven’t seen — and are unlikely to see anytime in the near future — a bounce back from the substantial loss in public school enrollment that occurred over the pandemic.”

Experts say many districts will be faced with difficult decisions, including school closures. That will place enormous pressure on districts and could lead to bitter fights between parents, teachers and school boards.