Gold Country Today

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in Calaveras Unified School District, with 282 students making up 10% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a decline of 0.5% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was ninth grade, with 236 students, or 8.3% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in Calaveras Unified School District during the period was Jenny Lind Elementary School, while Calaveras Unified Alternative-Sierra Hills Education Center had the fewest.

Overall, Calaveras Unified School District enrolled 2,830 students, ranking as the 404th highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 398th 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
Calaveras High School	749
Calaveras Unified Alternative-Sierra Hills Education Center	108
Gold Strike High School	30
Jenny Lind Elementary School	431
Mokelumne Hill Elementary School	163
San Andreas Elementary School	326
Toyon Middle School	506
Valley Springs Elementary School	397
West Point Elementary School	120