Kern County Times

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in Sierra Sands Unified School District, with 445 students making up 8.7% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 0.2% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was ninth grade, with 430 students, or 8.4% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in Sierra Sands Unified School District during the period was Las Flores Elementary School, while Inyokern Elementary School had the fewest.

Overall, Sierra Sands Unified School District enrolled 5,122 students, ranking as the 277th highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 274th highest 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
Burroughs High School	1,518
Faller Elementary School	504
Gateway Elementary School	371
Inyokern Elementary School	153
James Monroe Middle School	542
Las Flores Elementary School	550
Mesquite Continuation High School	103
Murray Middle School	686
Pierce Elementary School	318
Richmond Elementary School	377