San Benito County Education: Which school had most students enrolled in 2023-24 school year?

San Benito High School had the highest enrollment among San Benito County schools, welcoming 3,448 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the California Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 50% were boys, 49.9% were girls, and 0.1% identified themselves as non-binary or did not specify their gender.

Among the 25 schools in San Benito County, Hollister Dual Language Academy ranked second in enrollment numbers with 850 students, while Ladd Lane Elementary School welcomed 760 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

San Benito High School is part of San Benito High School District, which roughly covers schools within San Benito County and has a main office in Hollister.

In the previous school year, San Benito High School also had the largest number of students among San Benito County schools.

Although chronic absenteeism in California decreased in 2023, it remains double the pre-pandemic rate. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, chronic absenteeism in the state public schools reached 25% in 2023, up from 12% in 2019.

After peaking at 6.3 million in the early 2000s, public school enrollment in California has marked its seventh consecutive decline in the 2023-24 school year, with projections indicating it could fall to approximately 5.2 million by the 2033-34 school year. 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.