The post-World War II baby boom ended in the mid-1960s and – predictably – a decade later, California’s public schools saw a sharp drop in enrollment.
Throughout the state, schools were shuttered and sites for new schools were sold off. It was, however, a short-lived phenomenon; within a few years California was experiencing a surge of population driven by immigration from other countries and a new baby boom.
The predictable result was a marked increase in school enrollment that eventually topped 6 million, then leveled off and in recent years has been drifting downward. This month, the state Department of Education reported that for the first time in many years, enrollment had dropped below 6 million.
