San Mateo Sun

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in Portola Valley Elementary School District, with 88 students making up 17.5% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 1.1% compared to the previous year.

The grades with the second highest number of students were second grade and fifth grade, with 58 students each.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in Portola Valley Elementary School District during the period was Ormondale Elementary School.

Overall, Portola Valley Elementary School District enrolled 503 students, ranking as the 296th lowest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 300th lowest 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
Corte Madera	258
Ormondale Elementary School	245