In her October budget update to the Board of Education on Wednesday night, Chief Financial Officer Ruth Alahydoian said that PUSD enrollment was up by 6.5% for a total of 2,459 students. She said that the district ended up enrolling 49 more students than anticipated; 151 more students overall than the year prior.
The first Wednesday of every October is “census day” in California — the day school districts officially set their enrollment numbers for the year. Enrollment drives district funding — 51% of the district’s budget is derived from enrollment and calculated using ADA (average daily attendance). Average per ADA funding is $12,000 resulting in $588,000 more in revenue this year.
Despite the boost this year, Alahydoian said enrollment numbers are still not likely to improve in the long term. The Class of 2025 — at 227 students — is the largest class the district will see going forward due to demographic trends across the state. For 2025-26, enrollment is projected to decline; and with COLA projected at 2.73%, total revenues will increase by less than 1%.
The table below shows the progress of a cohort of students through their journey through PUSD. The original size
From Oct. 9 memo to the Board of Education
of the TK/K cohort tends to increase through senior year. Starting in 2013, elementary enrollment has decreased. This is in line with state-wide trends. The largest drops during the height of COVID are also reflected in state-wide data. The 2015-2024 numbers are actual; the 2025-2027 are projections. (Green indicates assumptions have been made about incoming students.)
In the last few years, PUSD has embarked on an effort to boost enrollment by reaching out to new families, welcoming and encouraging interdistrict transfers, and asking residents to consider PUSD over private education — efforts that are yielding some success.