Monterey Times

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in North Monterey County Unified School District, with 427 students making up 9.6% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 0.7% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was 12th grade, with 378 students, or 8.5% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in North Monterey County Unified School District during the period was Elkhorn Elementary School, while North Monterey County Center for Independent Study had the fewest.

Overall, North Monterey County Unified School District enrolled 4,433 students, ranking as the 302nd highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 303rd 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
Castroville Elementary School	596
Central Bay High (Continuation)	27
Echo Valley Elementary School	528
Elkhorn Elementary School	586
North Monterey County Center for Independent Study	131
North Monterey County High School	1,284
North Monterey County Middle School	639
Prunedale Elementary School	642