The count reflects enrollment on Oct. 7; the district projects enrollment for the first week of October, when the state collects its CALPADS data. The projection used for the 2026-27 budget assumed a decline of 294 students; the actual decline was 498, leaving enrollment 204 students, or 1%, below projection, Assistant Superintendent Laneia Grindle wrote in an information report for the Governing Board's Oct. 15 meeting. The district uses the projections to budget revenue and to set staffing. The update was listed on the board's Oct. 15 agenda without a presentation.
The decline continues a multiyear trend. The district had 20,717 students in 2020-21, according to the same report, and enrollment has fallen every year since except 2021-22, when it rose by 30. Last year's decline was 333 students.
Elementary schools enrolled 9,503 students, 155 fewer than projected, and high schools 4,906, 168 fewer. Fairfield High had the largest gap, with 1,348 students against a projection of 1,463; Armijo High enrolled 1,520, 53 fewer than projected, and Rodriguez High matched its projection at 1,659. Middle schools came in 18 students above projection, at 3,012. Special day classes, a line that also includes students placed in non-public schools, enrolled 820, 120 more than projected.