L.A. School Enrollment Down 1,519 : Education: The slight decline is the first in 13 years. Officials say the drop is a temporary effect of economic hard times.

For the first time in 13 years, student enrollment in the Los Angeles Unified School District has dropped, leaving school officials to speculate that the battered Southern California economy is to blame.

Although the decline is negligible--1,519 fewer students this fall compared to the opening of school last year--it is the first time since 1980, two years after court-ordered desegregation began, that overall enrollment has declined in the mammoth district, which now has 639,687 students.

After seeing enrollment boom by about 15,000 students for three consecutive years beginning in 1989, an abrupt halt to the phenomenal growth was first seen last year, when enrollment grew by only 1,507.

“I believe the drop is primarily related to the economy and affordable housing issues in Los Angeles,” district budget director Henry Jones said, adding that the small decline will not force budget revisions.

The district, which receives funding based on student attendance, had anticipated the enrollment drop during budget planning.

The biggest loss was in a region that includes part of the Westside and South-Central Los Angeles. Areas that showed modest gains were some cities in southeast Los Angeles County, as well as the Harbor and San Pedro areas and East Los Angeles. The San Fernando Valley region stayed about the same, with a growth of 12 students.

Based on the rate of births in Los Angeles, Jones and other officials believe that when the economy recovers, children will again begin flocking to the district.

“The kindergartners are still coming in,” Jones said, noting that kindergarten enrollment is up 2.3% over last year.

The overall district decline this year does little to ease overcrowded conditions in many inner-city schools, particularly around Downtown and in several southeast communities. Those areas bus more than 16,000 students to schools, primarily in the Valley and on the Westside, where there are seats.