Which Santa Clara County district had largest enrollment in 2023-24 school year?

San Jose Unified School District had the highest enrollment among Santa Clara County school districts, welcoming 25,849 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, 51.5% of them were boys, and 48.5% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were Hispanic or Latino, making up 55.3% of San Jose Unified School District’s total enrollment.

Among the 31 districts in Santa Clara County, East Side Union High School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 23,479 students, while Santa Clara Unified School District welcomed 14,199 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

San Jose Unified School District roughly covers schools within Santa Clara County and has a main office in San Jose.

In the previous school year, Milpitas Unified School District had the highest number of students among Santa Clara County districts.

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.

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.