Tulare Times

In the 2023-24 school year, 12th grade was the largest grade in Tulare Joint Union High School District, with 1,461 students making up 25.8% 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 ninth grade, with 1,419 students, or 25% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of 12th grade students in Tulare Joint Union High School District during the period was Tulare Western High School, while Countryside Community Day had the fewest.

Overall, Tulare Joint Union High School District enrolled 5,673 students, ranking as the 255th highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It also ranked 255th 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
Accelerated Charter High School	179
Countryside Community Day	29
Mission Oak High School	1,741
Sierra Vista Charter High School	181
Tulare Technical Preparatory High School	35
Tulare Union High School	1,622
Tulare Western High School	1,886