Pre-COVID Lockdown: California’s K-12 Enrollment Took a Dive For its 5th Consecutive Year

Shortly before news of COVID became widespread and before the soon-to-be recalled Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the lockdown of California for a never-ending “15 days to stop the spread,” California Department of Finance announced on its website that it had declined in K-12 enrollment for its 5th consecutive year and their projections were already looking just as grim.

According to the CA Department of Finance website, they reported in January, 2020:

California experienced the 5th consecutive decrease in total Public K-12 Enrollment in the 2018-19 school year (-25,600 students), enrolling 6,185,200 students. Over the next ten years, if current trends in fertility and migration hold, a further decline of 425,700 in total enrollment is projected, resulting in total enrollment of 5,759,500 by 2028-29.

Now compare that year with what they reported for the school year before that:

California experienced a decrease (9,800 students) in total Public K-12 Enrollment in the 2017-18 school year, enrolling approximately 6,211,000 students. Over the next ten years, a decline of 258,000 in total enrollment is projected, if current trends in fertility and migration hold, resulting in total enrollment of 5,953,000 by 2027-28.

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