Santa Cruz Standard

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in Live Oak Elementary School District, with 249 students making up 14.9% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 1.4% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was fifth grade, with 187 students, or 11.2% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in Live Oak Elementary School District during the period was Green Acres Elementary School, while Ocean Alternative Education Center had the fewest.

Overall, Live Oak Elementary School District enrolled 1,673 students, ranking as the 468th lowest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 473rd lowest 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
Del Mar Elementary School	310
Green Acres Elementary School	301
Live Oak Elementary School	362
Ocean Alternative Education Center	74
Shoreline Middle School	463
Tierra Pacifica Charter	163