Report: Majority of Citrus Heights students attend schools outside city

By Sara Beth Williams–
During a presentation on March 14 by the Citrus Heights Education Committee to the City Council, the committee presented multiple sources of data regarding Citrus Heights schools, including enrollment, socioeconomic, and academic data.

See part 1 of this story: Citrus Heights council questions report from education committee

The committee’s report found that only 44 percent of school-aged children in Citrus Heights attend schools within the city limits. A pie graph compiled by the committee showed 19 percent of Citrus Heights students attend other San Juan Unified schools outside of Citrus Heights and 37 percent of Citrus Heights school-aged children attend schools outside of the San Juan district.

Further, Mayor Bret Daniels reported that in Folsom, a city of comparable population to Citrus Heights, 4,500 students attend two high schools in Folsom. Daniels cited that about 1,000 students in Citrus Heights attend the two local high schools.

According to USnews.com, Mesa Verde High School has an enrollment of 874 students for the 2023-24 school year and San Juan High School has an enrollment of 625. In comparison, Folsom High School has 2,675 enrolled for the 2023-24 school year and Vista del Lago High School in Folsom has 1,785 enrolled.

San Juan High School Principal David Levis, who spoke during public comment, indicated that San Juan High has had 700 or more students enrolled this year, but over 100 have left because of housing instability and other socioeconomic issues.

Low enrollment at local schools has long been cited as evidence of poor quality of education in Citrus Heights, and was cited as a reason for the city to consider breaking off from the San Juan Unified School District to form its own school district.

In a previous Sentinel report in 2022, SJUSD Director of Communications Raj Rai said that student enrollment in the majority of public schools throughout California has declined, and this is not unique to San Juan or Citrus Heights. Councilmember Tim Schaefer mentioned Citrus Heights has an aging population.

Socioeconomic data
The committee also presented socioeconomically disadvantaged population data for all Citrus Heights schools based on the number of children and families who qualify for free or reduced lunch and found that 11 out of 12 Citrus Heights schools had 54 to 83 percent of families who were socioeconomically disadvantaged, with the only exception being Cambridge Heights at 39 percent. For comparison, the average percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students in the district is about 54 percent, according to data from the committee.

Confusion erupted when the council asked the committee what other data went into determining a socioeconomically disadvantaged status, since all students are now given free lunch throughout California.

Before the 2022-23 school year, when a Universal Meal Plan was enacted throughout the state, families had to apply for free or reduced lunch by disclosing household income, family size, and other information on an income verification form as part of the National School Lunch Program. Families were required to meet specific thresholds to receive free or reduced-price lunches, but families and students who fell into specific subgroups qualified automatically.

Daniel Thigpen, SJUSD Executive Director of Labor Relations and Government Affairs, said that socioeconomic status is still calculated each year through an income verification form, which all families fill out and return to their students’ schools.

Councilmember MariJane Lopez-Taff called the socioeconomic challenges observed by the committee “unchanging” and said that Citrus Heights schools “have been historically below average” academically. Lopez-Taff also called into question the lack of attendance data, and Daniels expressed disappointment at the lack of budget and extracurricular activities data.

Schaefer said the focus should be on getting better engagement to improve local schools, adding that the exercise of examining the current state of Citrus Heights schools and the San Juan district was an “excellent learning opportunity.”

“All I’m interested in is performing better so we can get out of this cycle,” Schaefer said.

The council voted unanimously to pursue collaboration and partnership opportunities with the school district, and work on efforts to “foster positive community engagement and support family involvement.” The council did not pursue a proposal for the city to further look into forming its own school district.

*This article has been updated with the correct spelling of San Juan High School’s principal.

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