San Joaquin Times

In the 2023-24 school year, 12th grade was the largest grade in Ripon Unified School District, with 530 students making up 10.2% of the student body, according to the California Department of Education. This represents a growth of 1.8% compared to the previous year.

The grade with the second highest number of students was 11th grade, with 502 students, or 9.7% of the student body.

The school that had the highest number of 12th grade students in Ripon Unified School District during the period was Ripon High School, while Harvest High School had the fewest.

Overall, Ripon Unified School District enrolled 5,181 students, ranking as the 274th highest enrolled district in California for the 2023-24 school year. It ranked 276th 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
Colony Oak Elementary School	443
Harvest High School	25
Park View Elementary School	461
Ripon Elementary School	459
Ripon High School	1,048
Ripona Elementary School	471
Weston Elementary School	439