(THE CENTER SQUARE) – A new analysis from The 74 found over 1,400 California K-12 schools lost more than 20% of their students since the pandemic, highlighting struggles relating to the state’s low birthrate, high outmigration, and parents pulling their students out of the public school system.
“What we’re finding is these kids aren’t going to other school districts: they’re leaving the system entirely,” said California Policy Center Vice President of Government Affairs Lance Christensen in an interview with The Center Square. “Homeschooling has seen a dramatic increase. California has lost a lot of people too.”
Of the over 1,400 schools with a decline of 25% or more, 125 are in Los Angeles Unified School District, which is the second largest school district in the nation. LAUSD’s decline is only eclipsed by New York City Public Schools, which had 270 schools facing such a decline.
