1,494 students enrolled in Pierce Joint Unified School District in 2023-24 school year

Pierce Joint Unified School District had the highest enrollment among Colusa County school districts, welcoming 1,494 students during the 2023-24 school year, according to the California Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 50.8% of them were boys, and 49.2% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were Hispanic or Latino, making up 80% of Pierce Joint Unified School District’s total enrollment.

Among the six districts in Colusa County, Colusa Unified School District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 1,464 students, while Williams Unified School District welcomed 1,370 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

Pierce Joint Unified School District roughly covers schools within Colusa County and has a main office in Arbuckle.

In the previous school year, Williams Unified School District had the highest number of students among Colusa County districts.

After peaking at 6.3 million in the early 2000s, public school enrollment in California has marked its seventh consecutive decline in the 2023-24 school year, with projections indicating it could fall to approximately 5.2 million by the 2033-34 school year. 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.

Although chronic absenteeism in California decreased in 2023, it remains double the pre-pandemic rate. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, chronic absenteeism in the state public schools reached 25% in 2023, up from 12% in 2019.