City Schools’ White Enrollment Continues Decline; Latinos Rise

White enrollment in San Diego city schools has continued to decline, dropping to 41.4% of the district’s 116,000 students from 43% a year ago, officials told the Board of Education on Tuesday.

Latino enrollment continued to show large increases, rising to 23.2% from 21.8% a year ago. Black enrollment remained at 16.4%, Filipino enrollment rose to 8.1% from 7.6%, and Indochinese enrollment rose to 7.6% from 7.5%.

The latest figures continue a trend that has seen white enrollment decline from more than 80,000 students in 1976 to 48,000 this year, while minority enrollment has increased from 41,000 in 1976 to 68,000 this year. Total district enrollment is now approaching the level of that in 1976, after several years in the early 1980s when it fell to below 110,000 students.

White enrollment could drop to below 40% in the next several years, administrators say. The percentage of white students in elementary schools this year is below 40%.