Issues
Raise Enrollment and School Ratings
Enrollment has fallen for a decade, and test results sit near the state average with a wide gap by family income. Both move only as a long-term project.
Families decide whether to stay. The National Center for Education Statistics counted 12,459 New Haven students in 2014–15 and 10,052 in 2023–24, a drop of about 2,400 students, or 19%. The California Department of Education lists 9,956 students for 2025–26, and NCES listed 13 schools in 2024–25. Fewer students means fewer state dollars for the classrooms we want to modernize. Rebuilding enrollment is a long-term goal, and it depends on whether families believe the schools are safe, rigorous, and worth staying for.
On the 2025 state tests, 51% of New Haven students met the English standard and 38% met the math standard. California overall was 49% in English and 37% in math, so the district is slightly ahead of the state and still far from where families want it, especially in math. Among students who are economically disadvantaged—about 39% of the district in recent federal counts—about 40% met the English standard and about 27% met the math standard, compared with about 67% and 56% of students who are not economically disadvantaged.
Ratings do not rise from a single program. They rise when instruction is strong, teachers are trained, campuses are safe, students attend, and pathways after high school are real. I will treat enrollment and ratings as a multi-year scoreboard: publish the numbers, name what is working, and keep the budget pointed at the gaps.
What I'll push for
- Treat falling enrollment as a trust problem and a funding problem
- Publish English and math results, including the gap for economically disadvantaged students
- Tie rating goals to instruction, attendance, safety, and career pathways
- Keep the work going long enough to show up on the California School Dashboard, not only in a press release