LOS ANGELES — California public school enrollment has dropped for the fifth year in a row, a decline of 110,000 students as K-12 schools struggle against pandemic disruptions and a shrinking population of school-age children, among other factors.
California enrollment stood at 5,892,240, a 1.8% decline, according to state data released Monday.
Large urban districts accounted for one-third of the drop. While public school enrollment has experienced a downward trend since 2014-15, the state warned that COVID-19 disruptions have largely contributed to the most recent enrollment drops. In March 2020 the pandemic shuttered campuses in California and across the country, forcing schools into distance learning, many for nearly a year.
