Anglos Now a Minority in O.C. Public Schools : Demographics: Statewide shift seen locally later than elsewhere. Whites are only race whose enrollment fell.

Following a statewide pattern, Anglo students are now a minority in Orange County’s public schools and are the only racial group of a significant size whose numbers have declined since 1988, new statistics show.

Enrollment figures compiled by the Orange County Department of Education confirm a demographic change that had been predicted months ago: Anglo students now make up 49% of the student population in kindergarten through 12th grades, down from 50.7% last year and nearly 60% five years ago.

Latinos are the next biggest group, accounting for 34% of the student population, followed by Asians (12%) and blacks (2%). Filipinos, Pacific Islanders and American Indian/Alaskan natives make up 1% each.

In percentage terms, Filipinos (+50.1%) have registered the greatest growth of any ethnic group since 1988, followed by Latinos (+47.2%). But in terms of actual numbers, Latino student enrollment grew faster over the same five-year period than all other ethnic groups combined. The number of Anglo students declined from 205,505 in 1988 to 196,489 in 1992, a 4.4% drop.

Anglo students became a minority in schools statewide in 1988, and in Los Angeles County more than 15 years ago. Orange County Schools Supt. John F. Dean speculated that it took Orange County longer to reach that point because housing is so expensive here, making it tougher for poorer immigrant groups to gain a foothold.

The new local figures reflect the large, well-established immigrant communities in Orange County, with school districts in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Westminster and Santa Ana showing the smallest Anglo populations, and traditionally white districts such as Irvine and Laguna Beach with the largest.

James A. Fulton, head of the demographics unit in the state Department of Education, said that all over California, the number of Anglo students is declining in relation to Latinos, Asians and other ethnic minorities.

“In-migration from other states has slowed, but immigration from other countries has held constant,” he said.

Statewide data on the racial and ethnic population in California’s schools for this fall are not yet complete, but last year, Anglos made up 44.5% of the public school population, Latinos 35.3%, blacks 8.5%, Asians 8.1% and Filipinos 2.3%, with Pacific Islanders and American Indians each making up less than 1%, Fulton said.

The racial and ethnic changes come against a backdrop of slowing growth in Orange County’s schools, as in schools statewide.

The new statistics show that Orange County’s schools reached an all-time enrollment high of nearly 400,000 students this fall, but even that figure reflects a slowdown in the pace of growth in the student population compared to the previous two years.

The number of students in kindergarten through 12th grades mushroomed about 4% in each of the previous two years, but this year it grew only about 2%.

Officials surmised that the recession was to blame for slowing the growth. With many businesses retrenching and laying off employees, there are fewer jobs in Orange County, making the area less attractive to newcomers and obliging some unemployed residents to leave, said County Schools Supt. Dean.

Fulton agreed, saying that many jobs have been lost statewide due to the lingering recession and cutbacks in defense spending that have followed the collapse of the former Soviet Union and the resulting end of the Cold War.

Enrollment in California schools increased by only about 77,000 students this fall, or 1.5% over last year, Fulton said. Officials had anticipated growth of about 3.5%.

Of Orange County’s 27 school districts, four actually saw net losses in student population since last year. The hardest hit was Fullerton Joint Union High School District, which lost 397 students, or 2.9% of the student population. Fountain Valley lost 1.2%. Westminster and Huntington Beach Union each lost less than 1%.

Fullerton Supt. J. Kenneth Jones said the figures are misleading because enrollment in all six high schools is up slightly over last year. But enrollment in the district’s English as a second language program for adults is also counted in the total and that is down sharply, he said.

Capistrano Unified had the biggest one-year growth, from 28,395 in the fall of 1991 to 29,984 this fall, an increase of 5.6%. District spokeswoman Jacqueline Price said she believes the growth is driven by the tremendous development still going on in South County--in communities like Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and Coto de Caza--and the fact that more affordable housing is being built than before.

The district is building more schools to accommodate its growth, with about 10 new school projects in the planning or building phases, Price said.

Minorities Become Majority

Minority students now comprise the majority in Orange County public schools. Just five years ago, about six students in 10 were white; now fewer than half are.

1988 1992 White 59% 49% Latino 26% 34% Asian 11% 12% Black 2% 2% Filipino 1% 1% Alaska native/Indian 1% 1% Pacific Islander * 1%

* Less than 1%

*

School Growth

During the last five years, enrollment in Orange County’s public schools has increased nearly 14%. Since last year, overall enrollment growth was about 2.2%, although two elementary and two high school districts actually declined. While enrollment has continued to gain, the rate at which it is growing has slowed. Total enrollment (Yearly percent change): Growth rate 1988: 350,909 1989: 360,213 / +2.7% 1990: 375,579 / +4.3% 1991: 390,898 / +4.0% 1992: 399,592 / +2.2% *

Whites in Decline

White students are not only in the minority in Orange County for the first time, but their number has actually declined since 1988, while other ethnic groups have seen double-digit growth. White: -4.4% Latino: +47.2% Asian: +25.6% Black: +27.1% Filipino: +50.1% Alaska native/Indian: +12.7% Pacific Islander: +12.5%

Fall Fall Percentage 1991 1992 change Elementary Anaheim City 15,847 16,647 5.0 Buena Park 4,621 4,747 2.7 Centralia 4,581 4,648 1.5 Cypress 3,963 4,113 3.8 Fountain Valley 6,013 5,942 -1.2 Fullerton 11,038 11,239 1.8 Huntington Beach City 5,706 5,751 0.8 La Habra 4,732 4,970 5.0 Magnolia 5,159 5,190 0.6 Ocean View 8,712 8,764 0.6 Savanna 2,062 2,127 3.2 Westminster 8,578 8,552 -0.3 High school Anaheim Union 24,538 24,770 0.9 Fullerton Union 13,619 13,222 -2.9 Huntington Beach Union 14,021 13,917 -0.7 Unified Brea-Olinda Unified 5,108 5,296 3.7 Capistrano Unified 28,395 29,984 5.6 Garden Grove 39,764 41,162 3.5 Irvine 21,222 21,405 0.9 Laguna Beach 2,322 2,365 1.9 Los Alamitos 6,803 7,152 5.1 Newport-Mesa 17,006 17,447 2.6 Orange 25,959 26,336 1.5 Placentia/Yorba Linda 21,803 22,524 3.3 Saddleback 26,557 27,079 1.9 Santa Ana 47,700 48,406 1.5 Tustin 11,358 11,860 4.4 County-operated 3,684 3,977 7.9 Total 390,898 399,592 2.2

Source: Orange County Department of Education