Solano Sun

In the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten was the largest grade in River Delta Joint Unified School District, with 250 students making up 11.9% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 2.9% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was 11th grade, with 169 students, or 8% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of kindergarten students in River Delta Joint Unified School District during the period was D. H. White Elementary School, while Bates Elementary School had the fewest.

Overall, River Delta Joint Unified School District enrolled 2,101 students, ranking as the 468th highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 461st 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
Bates Elementary School	79
Clarksburg Middle School	187
D. H. White Elementary School	427
Delta High School	183
Isleton Elementary School	181
Mokelumne High (Continuation)	8
Rio Vista High School	350
River Delta Community Day	2
River Delta High/Elementary (Alternative)	26
Riverview Middle School	163
Walnut Grove Elementary School	141