On Thursday, May 16, the California Department of Education (CDE) released annual enrollment data for the 2023–24 school year, which showed a continued, though slowing, decrease in overall enrollment.

Significant bright spots include a doubling of enrollment in transitional kindergarten (TK) over the last two years, from 75,465 in 2021–22 to 151,491 in 2023–24.

This historic growth in TK reflects significant investment in early learning, including $500 million in Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Planning and Implementation Grants; a statewide communications campaign to raise awareness of free, public early learning programs; and state-level support of UPK expansion across California’s 1,000 school districts through coaching and technical assistance of UPK coordinators across the state.

Source: California 2024 Enrollment Data – Year 2024 (CA Dept of Education)