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District data: enrollment slips long-term; attendance and discipline trending better than last year, officials say
Summary
Humboldt Unified staff told the board Q2 cohort analysis shows some grade-level gains but overall enrollment remains below prior years; chronic absenteeism is forecast to finish below last year and discipline incidents are lower year-over-year, with targeted interventions emphasized.
Humboldt Unified School District leaders presented second-quarter data showing a mixed picture: while some grade cohorts — notably kindergarten, third grade, and middle school grades — showed improvement, overall enrollment remains below multi-year levels, and the district is tracking longer-term demographic shifts.
"Our overall enrollment is lower than it was a few years ago," Director of Assessment and Data Kate Johansson told the board, citing demographic shifts, housing patterns and school-choice impacts. She said cohort-level analysis helps staff spot where targeted supports are working and where additional attention is needed.
On attendance, Johansson said the district is projecting chronic absenteeism to finish the year below last year 's level, which would translate into bonus points on state letter grades: "Current year, we're projected well, well below all of those," she said. Administrators credited earlier interventions and weekly reporting that allows front offices and assistant principals to reach out proactively to families.
Discipline data also showed positive longer-term progress: year-over-year incident counts remain below last year's Q2 levels. The district reported increased use of low-level interventions such as detentions while in-school and out-of-school suspensions decreased compared with the prior year.
Johansson outlined outreach and marketing steps aimed at informing families about Humboldt's A-rated status and programs, including direct mail, banners and an AI-driven FAQ feature planned for the district website. She said staff will return with Q3 data in April and continue focusing on chronic absenteeism as a lever to improve proficiency.
Board members asked about tracking where departing students enroll; Johansson said staff are building deeper analyses to identify whether students leave for charters, homeschooling, or other public districts and suggested a potential work session to digest the findings.
The board thanked staff for the data and asked for continued reporting on these metrics as part of the district's strategic planning.
