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Public school enrollment has plunged in districts across the country. Low birth rates are driving those drops, alongside heightened immigration enforcement and the expansion of private school voucher programs. As a result, many schools are facing a financial crisis.
In Vallejo, California, public school enrollment has dropped by almost half in the last 20 years, from about 18,000 students in 2006 to 9,300 now. On average, schools in Vallejo were only 46 percent full in 2024. To cut costs, the district started closing schools, shuttering two K-8 schools in 2025 and three elementary schools this year.
But closing schools comes with its own challenges. Some Vallejo parents decided to homeschool this year instead of transferring their students to schools elsewhere in the system, while others moved out of the Vallejo district entirely. Penny Núñez-Brandão, an elementary student who was transferred to another school this year when hers closed, has struggled with the adjustment. Her new class has 32 students in it, which she said makes it hard to concentrate.
“Families are literally packing up their kids and moving away,” said Penny’s mother, Kimberly Núñez-Brandão.
And it’s unlikely that public schools’ enrollment woes are over. This fall, we’ll be covering other ways that the financial squeeze facing school districts is affecting students, in partnership with The Associated Press.
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