Out of 212 students at Sonoma County Special Education, 3.3% were in sixth grade during 2023-24 school year

Out of 212 students enrolled at Sonoma County Special Education, 3.3% were in sixth grade during the 2023-24 school year, according to the California Department of Education. The grade with the highest concentration of students was 12th grade, with 31.1% 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
12th Grade	66	31.1%
7th Grade	21	9.9%
4th Grade	20	9.4%
2nd Grade	17	8%
1st Grade	16	7.5%
5th Grade	16	7.5%
8th Grade	14	6.6%
3rd Grade	12	5.7%
kindergarten	7	3.3%
6th Grade	7	3.3%
10th Grade	6	2.8%
9th Grade	5	2.4%
11th Grade	5	2.4%