2023-24 School Year: How many students were enrolled in kindergarten at Don Julian Elementary School?

Out of 557 students enrolled at Don Julian Elementary School, 12.4% 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 first grade, with 12.7% 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
1st Grade	71	12.7%
kindergarten	69	12.4%
8th Grade	67	12%
3rd Grade	65	11.7%
4th Grade	62	11.1%
2nd Grade	61	11%
5th Grade	60	10.8%
6th Grade	51	9.2%
7th Grade	51	9.2%