Indicator Spotlight | July 29, 2024
School enrollment stability rates
By Heidi Young
Silicon Valley’s population has a relatively high turnover rate, with approximately 7% leaving (and for the most part, being replaced) annually.1 Do the region’s comings and goings also translate to instability in our public school-student population?
Student Stability matters to individual students (whose relationships and academic progress may be negatively affected by changing schools)2 and also to the health and vibrancy of the school community. The latter includes relationships between peers, between students and their teachers, as well as with and among families.
Overall, data from the California Department of Education suggest that Silicon Valley’s public school-student cohorts are actually more stable than statewide (with a stability rate of 92% during the 2022-23 academic year, compared to 91% statewide); however, student stability varies significantly by race/ethnicity and by district.
Among racial and ethnic groups, Silicon Valley’s 2022-23 Student Stability rates are highest for White, Filipino, and Other Asian (95%, 95%, and 93%, respectively), and lowest for American Indian and Native Hawaiian (85%), Black or African American (85%), Pacific Islander (87%), and Hispanic or Latino (89%). Student Stability rates also vary significantly by district, from a low of 82% at Orchard Elementary in San Jose to a high of 97% at Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School.
