Redwood Empire News

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in Southern Humboldt Joint Unified School District, with 68 students making up 10.5% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 1% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was 12th grade, with 65 students, or 10.1% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in Southern Humboldt Joint Unified School District during the period was Redway Elementary School, while Whitethorn Elementary School had the fewest.

Overall, Southern Humboldt Joint Unified School District enrolled 645 students, ranking as the 327th lowest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 337th 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
Casterlin Elementary School	36
Casterlin High School	5
Miranda Junior High School	97
Osprey Learning Center	13
Osprey Learning Center (Alternative)	2
Redway Elementary School	271
South Fork High School	202
Whitethorn Elementary School	19