School Enrollment

Despite Population Increase, School Enrollment Continues to Drop

Why is it important?

School enrollment levels are essential in determining the amount of state funding received by local schools. Funding is based primarily on enrollment and average daily attendance. Enrollment trends over a historical period of time provide insight into a school’s financial stability. It is also a good indication of the number of families with children living in a particular area. Changes in school enrollment rates are due partially to increases in home prices and partially to loss of living wage jobs. These changes make it next to impossible for young families to afford to live in the area.

How are we doing?

As shown in the graph above, school enrollment figures for the Sierra Nevada depict an overall decline from 1993 to 2004 indicating that families are actually leaving the Sierra Nevada despite the large population increases in recent years. Decreases in school enrollment and in the number of young families living in the Sierra Nevada suggest an element of instability in the region's wealth, as the education of future generations faces the potential threat of decline in public funding and a corresponding decline in quality.

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