L.A. Unified enrollment continues to fall, but drop is cushioned by influx of 4-year-olds from Mexico
The Los Angeles Times
Molly Johnson-Sigler, a senior in L.A.’s University High School, looks at a map with the coordinates of the L.A. Unified school district in Pasadena. The district’s enrollment of students dropped 9.3 percent from last year during the 2015-2016 school year. (Chet Strange / Los Angeles Times)
The number of students enrolled in the Los Angeles Unified School District has declined 9.3 percent this year, according to figures released Monday by the district’s enrollment office.
The drop is a major concern for the district, which is in the midst of a turnaround effort.
The district has been under pressure to reduce the number of low-income and minority students from sending its students to other parts of the country.
In 2014, the district enrolled 775,000 students who were mostly minorities and at high risk for dropping out, according to data from the L.A. County Department of Education. By 2018, the number of students enrolled will be 740,000, according to the district’s enrollment report.
The district’s enrollment drop is a positive sign, said L.A. School Board member Kathryn Barger, but the district is still very far from reaching its goal of enrolling 950,000 students by 2023.
“The progress made in L.A. Unified reflects the commitment of leadership and teachers to create meaningful learning opportunities for every student,” L.A. Superintendent Austin Beutner said in the report.
“We are making progress on all fronts, but we have much work to do.”
While LASD has met targets for student retention and graduation, the enrollment report shows that the district is still lagging behind in other areas.
In the first quarter of the 2018-19 school year, the district had 3,908 students who were not graduating or dropping out, and