Out of 882 students at Kamala Elementary School, 7.8% were in kindergarten during 2023-24 school year

Out of 882 students enrolled at Kamala Elementary School, 7.8% were in kindergarten during the 2023-24 school year, according to the California Department of Education. The grade with the highest concentration of students was eighth grade, with 13.3% 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
8th Grade	117	13.3%
6th Grade	109	12.4%
7th Grade	108	12.2%
5th Grade	105	11.9%
4th Grade	97	11%
1st Grade	95	10.8%
2nd Grade	94	10.7%
3rd Grade	88	10%
kindergarten	69	7.8%