LAUSD expects to lose as much as 30% of its enrollment

LAUSD predicts 30% enrollment drop over the next 10 years

A drop in enrollment would mean a drop in funds. Christina Gonzalez talked to a parent who took her child out of LAUSD.

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Unified School District is projecting a loss of 30% in their overall student enrollment.

Some of the reasons cited by LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho are beyond the district’s control, like families moving out of state and a drop in immigration. Others are tied to the district’s size, and according to one parent we spoke to, fixable.

Chris Marie’s daughter went to LAUSD schools through her elementary and middle school years, but by high school they opted for a charter school. Her reasons echo those of many parents and teacher we spoke to off camera to.

Classroom sizes, red tape to get into special programs, and safety are just some of the factors that were brought up. COVID-19 seems to have been the nail in the coffin for many parents. While they may disagree on mask wearing mandates, most agree that students needed to be in school, and that very few benefited from two years of at homeschooling.

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Ultimately, the issues brought up have to do with the size of the district. Many would like to see it turned into several smaller districts, which is unlikely to happen. With lower attendance, LAUSD faces serious reduction in budgets and worsening of problems like student-to-teacher ratio. Many people don’t realize how much that money means to the district. Schools only get about 30% of state lottery funds, which is a lot of money, but not the amount a lot of people assume.

LAUSD is the second-largest school district in the country.