West Ventura News

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in Rio Elementary School District, with 722 students making up 13.8% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 0.5% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was eighth grade, with 618 students, or 11.8% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in Rio Elementary School District during the period was Rio Rosales, while Rio Plaza Elementary School had the fewest.

Overall, Rio Elementary School District enrolled 5,216 students, ranking as the 271st highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 273rd 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
Rio Del Mar	450
Rio del Norte	490
Rio del Sol	826
Rio del Valle Middle School	612
Rio Lindo Elementary School	415
Rio Plaza Elementary School	455
Rio Real Elementary School	753
Rio Rosales	544
Rio Vista Middle School	671