2023-24 School Year: 11.5% of students enrolled in 12th grade at Tracy Joint Unified School District schools

In the 2023-24 school year, 12th grade was the largest grade in Tracy Joint Unified School District, with 1,728 students making up 11.5% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 1.1% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was 11th grade, with 1,600 students, or 10.6% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of 12th grade students in Tracy Joint Unified School District during the period was Merrill F. West High School, while Duncan-Russell Community Day had the fewest.

Overall, Tracy Joint Unified School District enrolled 15,066 students, ranking as the 94th highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It also ranked 94th 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.