California community colleges in crisis as enrollment declines in epidemic, some at 56 percent

Northern California College of the Siskiyous had the largest drop in enrollment. (Data image)

According to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, student enrollment at many community colleges in California has plummeted during the outbreak, threatening the future growth of some campuses.

The number of students enrolled in the California Community College System for fall 2020 is reported to have decreased by more than 260,000, or 16.8 percent, compared to the same period the previous year. The California community college system has the largest student population in the nation with approximately 2 million students, both full-time and part-time. Enrollment has been relatively flat over the past decade. Paul Feist, a spokesman for the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, said that if enrollment at California community colleges does not remain stable in the coming years, continued under-enrollment could lead to a crisis for the community college system. He also highlighted the warning memo, which was presented to the Community College System Board of Governors last month.

According to a new analysis of fall 2020 enrollment at California’s community colleges released by the nonprofit Education News, 105 community colleges have experienced enrollment declines of varying degrees, with 35 declining by at least 20 percent and the most by more than 50 percent, and only six showing increases. The largest decline was at Siskiyous Community College in the northernmost part of California, with a 56 percent drop in enrollment. The next largest drop was Reedley College in the Central Valley, with a 39.5 percent decline.

Santa Ana College in Orange County, S.C., saw a 34 percent drop in enrollment, losing 11,971 students. Others that lost at least a quarter of their students included MiraCosta College in San Diego County, with an enrollment decline of about 28 percent.

A number of California community colleges with large enrollments and remote locations have experienced particularly severe declines in student enrollment.