The California Department of Education released 2024–25 school enrollment data on DataQuest, showing that the decline in public school enrollment has begun to slow.

While the overall decrease in school enrollment compared to prepandemic levels continues to be a source of strain on public schools, new initiatives such as Transitional Kindergarten show significant growth and signs of promise as local educational agencies (LEAs) work to reengage families, especially as California’s families experience increased economic hardship.

“The overall slowing enrollment decline is encouraging and reflects the hard work of our LEAs across the state,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “While we have more work to do, the dramatic growth in TK is inspiring and shows that providing rigorous and quality programs can be a key ingredient to bringing more families back to our schools. One of our initiatives in this area is expansion of Dual Language Immersion programs as a strategy to drive future enrollment growth by providing school programs that are in high demand from California’s families.”

In the 2024–25 school year, overall student enrollment declined by 0.54 percent compared to the year prior, representing a slowing of declining school enrollment. Though the change from the prior school year is minimal, the difference between current year enrollment and pre-pandemic enrollment remains significant.

The most significant trend in California’s 2024–25 school enrollment data reflects an increased demand for specific education initiatives, such as TK.

Even as overall enrollment has fallen, TK enrollment continues to boom, with a year-over-year increase of 17.2 percent. The number of LEAs offering TK at all school sites has increased to 85 percent, and as TK expansion creates more spaces in state preschool, enrollment of three-year-olds in state preschool continues to rise. Overall, more and more families are taking advantage of public opportunities for early learning.

This growth in preschool and TK shows that directly responding to California families’ enthusiasm for specific educational initiatives is a strong path to reengaging families in schools.

Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs have shown significant growth statewide: as of 2023–24, there were 1,036 DLI programs in California, a 39 percent increase from 747 DLI programs in 2018–19.

Recent local data shows that Expanded Learning program expansion mirrors trends in transitional kindergarten and DLI expansion: as the number of seats increases, they are filled. In Elk Grove Unified, broadened access to Expanded Learning programs has increased program enrollment from 3,300 to 12,000—a 264 percent increase.

These data points offer insights into in-demand educational initiatives and a potential path to reversing long-term school enrollment trends.

More information about Superintendent Thurmond’s initiatives can be found on the CDE Initiatives web page. Another webinar about California’s DLI expansion is scheduled Tuesday, June 3 at 2:00 p.m. and can be viewed on the CDE Facebook page. For more information on Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) and TK, please see Universal PreKindergarten FAQs and Transitional Kindergarten FAQs on the CDE website. TK is a core component of the UPK program. It enrolls students in the first year of a two-year kindergarten program, using a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate.

Inquiries from members of the media regarding the Superintendent’s Initiatives can be directed to communications@cde.ca.gov.