South Bay Leader

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in Hawthorne School District, with 833 students making up 11.9% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 0.2% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was eighth grade, with 755 students, or 10.8% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in Hawthorne School District during the period was Zela Davis, while Washington had the fewest.

Overall, Hawthorne School District enrolled 7,021 students, ranking as the 219th highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 218th 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
Bud Carson Middle School	635
Eucalyptus	737
Hawthorne Math and Science Academy	548
Hawthorne Middle School	779
Jefferson	520
Kornblum	550
Prairie Vista Middle School	736
Ramona	765
Washington	421
York	460
Zela Davis	870