San Mateo Sun

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in San Carlos Elementary School District, with 468 students making up 14.9% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 1.4% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was seventh grade, with 363 students, or 11.6% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in San Carlos Elementary School District during the period was Brittan Acres Elementary School, while White Oaks Elementary School had the fewest.

Overall, San Carlos Elementary School District enrolled 3,132 students, ranking as the 381st highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 383rd highest in the previous school year.

California's public schools face a growing financial crisis driven by declining enrollment and an increase in chronic absenteeism, both impacting the state's school funding model.

Enrollment, which peaked at 6.3 million students in the early 2000s, has steadily declined to under 6 million today, with projections indicating it could fall below 5.2 million by 2032. This trend is attributed to lower birth rates, slowed immigration, and families relocating out of state due to high housing costs. Rural and coastal districts have been particularly affected, facing tough decisions such as school closures and staffing reductions.

At the same time, chronic absenteeism has surged from 12% pre-pandemic to 25%, disproportionately impacting younger students and jeopardizing their long-term success.

School	Total Enrollment
Arroyo	287
Arundel Elementary School	376
Brittan Acres Elementary School	372
Central Middle School	434
Heather Elementary School	308
Mariposa	286
Tierra Linda Middle School	458
White Oaks Elementary School	244