ENROL DECLININ LMENT

The causes and impacts of declining enrollment and what it means for students

pandemic and its resulting immigration restrictions.

Over the last 15 years, Fremont Union High School District has experienced a decline in enrollment across all five FUHSD campuses.

“For next year, [FUHSD] is looking at an enrollment decline of about 600 students. That’s larger probably than what we’ve had in the last 15 years, or I would say, in general, through the late 2000s,”

“Next year, we’re the largest drop, but last year was somebody else. So it just depends on the year, [but] I think we’re all in about the same boat. Overall, we’re going to end up in the middle,” Tomberlain said.

FUHSD is set to drop a record

600 students in the 2023-2024 year

Superintendent Graham Clark said. “I would say the largest decreases are at the biggest schools, but all of the schools have over a 100 student decline except Lynbrook, which has like 49 [student decline].”

Cupertino High School Principal Kami Tomberlain relayed similar thoughts in regard to CHS’ enrollment rates. She attributed this decline in part to the decreasing birth rate, inflation — especially increased housing costs — the

“Most people are having children later in life. And then a lot of them are having fewer children. So you know, before, if the average was like 2.2 children per couple, now [it] is something less than that,” Clark said.

Clark mentioned Proposition 13 initiated a decline in housing turnover, as residents are less inclined to sell their houses to avoid property tax appraisal.

Said Clark, “What happens is a neighborhood that maybe had a lot of kids like

30 or 40 years ago just has fewer kids these days.” He further explained how the available housing, with studio and one-bedroom apartments mainly being built in the district area, has decreased the number of incoming families with children.

FUHSD began transferring students across campuses to maintain balance. The district aims to keep all five schools at 1,800 student capacity or more.

“The reason why is we want to be able to offer the same courses at all high schools,” Clark said. “Sometimes it’s harder to offer all of the elective courses because you just don’t have enough people who would take it.”

The district had previously transferred students to Lynbrook High School through a supplemental school assignment program. This