Crowded Schools

Orange County public schools continue to attract more students, though the pace of growth is decelerating slightly. Figures released Friday by the county Department of Education, not yet state-certified, show an overall 3.4% growth rate. That’s lower than the 4.2% posted last year, but still higher than the recent statewide average. Administrators say growth is straining many school districts, which lack money, land--or both--to build new campuses or add portable classrooms. Here’s a breakdown by district, showing enrollment for 1997-98 and ‘96-97--and the percentage change. Statewide figures for 1997-98 are not yet available.

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District 1997-98 1996-97 Change Anaheim City (K-6) 20,128 19,471 3.4% Anaheim Union High (7-12) 26,600 25,593 3.9 Brea Olinda Unified (K-12) 5,965 5,926 0.7 Buena Park (K-8) 5,410 5,221 3.6 Capistrano Unified (K-12) 40,175 37,539 7.0 Centralia (K-6) 5,101 4,994 2.1 Cypress (K-6) 4,758 4,618 3.0 Fountain Valley (K-8) 6,111 6,051 1.0 Fullerton (K-8) 12,289 11,880 3.4 Fullerton Joint Union High (9-12) 14,259 13,707 4.0 Garden Grove Unified (K-12) 45,776 44,661 2.5 Huntington Beach City (K-8) 6,380 6,265 1.8 Huntington Beach Union High (9-12) 13,926 13,647 2.0 Irvine Unified (K-12) 23,061 22,563 2.2 Laguna Beach Unified (K-12) 2,548 2,504 1.8 La Habra City (K-8) 5,934 5,674 4.6 Los Alamitos Unified (K-12) 8,486 8,449 0.4 Magnolia (K-6) 6,130 6,027 1.7 Newport-Mesa Unified (K-12) 20,240 19,560 3.5 Ocean View (K-8) 9,710 9,467 2.6 Orange Unified (K-12) 29,249 28,294 3.4 Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified (K-12) 24,888 24,381 2.1 Saddleback Valley Unified (K-12) 33,172 31,833 4.2 Santa Ana Unified (K-12) 53,803 52,107 3.3 Savanna (K-6) 2,341 2,396 -2.3 Tustin Unified (K-12) 15,273 14,376 6.2 Westminster (K-8) 9,472 9,250 2.4 OC Dept. of Education (K-12) 6,776 6,473 4.7 TOTAL 457,961 442,927 3.4%

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Sources: Orange County Department of Education, California Department of Education; Researched by NICK ANDERSON / Los Angeles Times