For the second consecutive year, enrollment in Sonoma County’s public schools rose slightly during the 2024-25 school year, defying recent local trends as well as statewide patterns.

Data released May 21 by the California Department of Education (CDE) showed that 64,798 students attended grades transitional kindergarten (TK) through 12 for the current school year, an increase of 351 from 2023-24.

Much of the increase can be linked to more students attending TK, an optional grade for 4-year-olds that is being phased in over several years. Increasing numbers of young learners have become eligible for public schools for each of the past few years. In 2024-25, 289 more students attended TK in Sonoma County than in the previous year.

Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, all students who turn 4 before Sept. 1 will be eligible to attend TK, part of a continuum of options for 4-year-olds that includes California State Preschool, federal Head Start programs, and private and family educational options. 

Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Amie Carter said she was heartened to see public school enrollment held steady at a time when it is declining across most of California. She cautioned against reading too much into relatively flat growth, however.

“Sonoma County is still experiencing the same challenges we faced when enrollment was falling more sharply, namely declining birth rates and a high cost of living that makes it difficult for families to afford living here,” she said. “Although our region gained a small number of students overall, many of our districts are closing schools after facing several consecutive years of steep enrollment declines. That hasn’t changed.”

Statewide, 5,806,221 students attended public schools in 2024-25, a decline of about 0.54%, according to the CDE. TK enrollment statewide continues to boom, with a year-over-year increase of 17.2%.

Enrollment data for 2024-25 can be found on the CDE’s Dataquest page, where it can be filtered by district and school, as well as sorted by various categories.