L.A. is getting older as school enrollment takes ‘tremendous’ hit

Where are the young people in Los Angeles? L.A. County is aging like never before, and it’s becoming increasingly noticeable in schools.

USC’s Pedro Noguera told KNX News’ Adams that schools have seen a huge decline in enrollment because young people are leaving the county for a cheaper place to live and raise their children.

“It's having a tremendous impact financially because as the population ages and fewer families with children are able to afford to live in L.A., the population of the schools declines,” Noguera said. “So when you combine the loss of population with chronic absenteeism, what we're seeing is a tremendous hit on districts like Los Angeles.”

He said something needs to be done to address the affordability issue in L.A. County so people can live closer to where they work.

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“Then this would also benefit schools because the schools would be in the same communities, which means parents could be more involved in their kids' school because they wouldn't be spending all their time commuting,” Noguera said.

The average age of people living in L.A. County grew to 38 between 2012-2022.

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