Monterey Times

In the 2023-24 school year, 12th grade was the largest grade in Salinas Union High School District, with 3,101 students making up 19.3% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 1.1% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was 10th grade, with 2,935 students, or 18.2% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of 12th grade students in Salinas Union High School District during the period was Alisal High School, while Carr Lake Community Day had the fewest.

Overall, Salinas Union High School District enrolled 16,095 students, ranking as the 86th highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 87th 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
Alisal High School	2,791
Carr Lake Community Day	31
El Puente	349
El Sausal Middle School	1,051
Everett Alvarez High School	2,072
Harden Middle School	1,127
La Paz Middle School	1,160
Mount Toro High School	217
North Salinas High School	2,125
Rancho San Juan High School	1,658
Salinas High School	2,446
Washington Middle School	1,068