Wine Country Times

There were 11,433 students enrolled in Mendocino County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.1% less than the previous year, according to the California Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed at the time, 52.5% identified as male, 47.3% as female, and 0.3% identified themselves as non-binary or did not specify their gender.

Data also showed that Hispanic or Latino students made up 49.2% of the student body, the largest percentage in the county, followed by white students at 33.8% (3,866 students), American Indian or Alaska Native students at 5.8% (665 students) and multiracial students at 4.3% (490 students).

Ukiah High School had the highest enrollment among Mendocino County's 361 schools in the 2023-24 academic year, welcoming 1,745 students.

After peaking at 6.3 million in the early 2000s, public school enrollment in California has marked its seventh consecutive decline in the 2023-24 school year, with projections indicating it could fall to approximately 5.2 million by the 2033-34 school year. 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.

Although chronic absenteeism in California decreased in 2023, it remains double the pre-pandemic rate. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, chronic absenteeism in the state public schools reached 25% in 2023, up from 12% in 2019.

School name	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2023-24	% Change
Ukiah High School	1,679	1,745	3.9%
Pomolita Middle School	767	771	0.5%
Eagle Peak Middle School	539	536	-0.6%
Fort Bragg High School	524	521	-0.6%
Calpella Elementary School	476	477	0.2%
Yokayo Elementary School	454	440	-3.1%
Frank Zeek Elementary School	452	435	-3.8%
Grace Hudson Elementary School	416	421	1.2%
Fort Bragg Middle School	392	408	4.1%
Oak Manor Elementary School	402	407	1.2%
Willits High School	415	402	-3.1%
Brookside Elementary School	363	377	3.9%
Dana Gray Elementary School	365	362	-0.8%
Baechtel Grove Middle School	270	338	25.2%
Redwood Elementary School	353	338	-4.2%
Round Valley Elementary School	304	328	7.9%
Blosser Lane Elementary School	351	321	-8.5%
Nokomis Elementary School	354	315	-11%
Mendocino K-8	250	246	-1.6%
Arena Elementary School	225	221	-1.8%
Laytonville Elementary School	226	216	-4.4%
Anderson Valley Junior-Senior High School	224	207	-7.6%
Anderson Valley Elementary School	196	184	-6.1%
Potter Valley Elementary School	145	153	5.5%
Mendocino High School	165	152	-7.9%
Point Arena High School	125	134	7.2%
Ukiah Independent Study Academy	140	122	-12.9%
South Valley High (Continuation)	131	118	-9.9%
Round Valley High School	112	102	-8.9%
Laytonville High School	111	99	-10.8%
Potter Valley High School	82	81	-1.2%
Sanhedrin Alternative	67	62	-7.5%
Leggett Valley Elementary School	58	57	-1.7%
Sherwood	68	46	-32.4%
Potter Valley Junior High School	49	43	-12.2%
Whale Gulch Elementary School	33	38	15.2%
Noyo High (Continuation)	26	29	11.5%
Manchester Elementary School	35	27	-22.9%
Round Valley Continuation	20	20	0%
Mendocino County Community	11	19	72.7%
Comptche Elementary School	17	16	-5.9%
Leggett Valley High School	23	16	-30.4%
Orr Creek	66	14	-78.8%
Lighthouse Community Day	13	13	0%
Albion Elementary School	9	10	11.1%
Whale Gulch High School	11	10	-9.1%
South Coast Continuation	5	9	80%
Mendocino Alternative	14	8	-42.9%
West Hills Juvenile Hall Court	7	8	14.3%
Shelter Cove	9	7	-22.2%
Mendocino Sunrise High School	7	4	-42.9%