Out of 345 students at Carson Elementary School, 16.2% were in fourth grade during 2023-24 school year

Out of 345 students enrolled at Carson Elementary School, 16.2% were in fourth grade during the 2023-24 school year, according to the California Department of Education. The grade with the highest concentration of students was kindergarten, with 23.5% of all students.

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.

Grade	Number of Students	% of Total
kindergarten	81	23.5%
2nd Grade	61	17.7%
4th Grade	56	16.2%
5th Grade	55	15.9%
3rd Grade	47	13.6%
1st Grade	45	13%