In recent months, discussions have been circling at Ocean View School District regarding its dwindling student population and the effects that has on the district.
OVSD — which serves parts of Huntington Beach, Westminster and Fountain Valley — is home to more than 6,809 students across 15 schools. This number has been slowly declining over the last few years, with a decrease of about 2,600 students since 2013 — close to a 28% drop.
Administrators and OVSD board members are considering closing schools and combining campuses due to the enrollment decline. While the district had proposed in February closing Circle View, Village View and Golden View elementary schools, Superintendent Michael Conroy says a new task force will guide the district in its next steps.
The task force is expected to come to the board at the end of October, said Conroy, with multiple options for what the district can do.
“This task force has been designed with the intention to figure out what is best to do for the community,” said Conroy.
Across Orange County, school enrollment in public institutions has dropped close to 1% since the 2022-23 school year, according to the California Department of Education. Statewide, the average enrollment has mirrored Orange County’s statistics, with the overall state decreasing by about 1% over the past year as well, according to the CDE.
The enrollment decline is due to myriad factors, according to the CDE, including migration from California as well as continuous adjustments from the pandemic, including remote learning.
And California’s birth rate is at its lowest in 100 years which has also contributed to a decline in enrollment, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
This isn’t the first time OVSD has had to close schools due to a population problem.
From 1982-83 to 1992-93, the district closed seven schools when the enrollment showed that it was down about 1,300 students. Enrollment bounced back up in…
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