Latinos Now Schools’ Biggest Ethnic Group

Latinos now make up the single largest ethnic group of students in Orange County public schools for the first time since the county education department has been keeping such figures.

The biggest ethnic cluster of students previously in Orange County schools was white, but now that percentage is down to 40.8%, just under the 42.3% of enrolled Latino students, according to the annual enrollment survey taken each fall and released this week.

“We knew that shift would take place,” said William Habermehl, associate superintendent of the county Department of Education. “It’s been gradually moving that direction, so we weren’t surprised that it finally happened.”

The next biggest ethnic group is students of Asian descent, at 12.1%; followed by African-American, at 1.9%; and Filipino, with 1.4%.

Habermehl said the survey lends more urgency to his agency’s plan to recruit more Latinos and Asians to become teachers in Orange County.

“We probably have a 90% Anglo teaching force, and it doesn’t reflect the student population,” he said.

The education department began keeping numbers on school ethnicity during the 1960s.

White enrollment fell slightly this year to 202,180 students, down 651 from the year before. Meanwhile, Hispanic student enrollment grew by more than 5% to 209,644, up by 10,469 students.

“We have a wonderfully rich cultural mix of students that are doing a great job in the classroom,” said Habermehl, who also praised efforts by local teachers to raise their cross-cultural sensitivity by taking voluntary classes offered by the districts and the county.

Overall student enrollment in Orange County grew 2.4% this year, from 483,995 students last year to 495,470 this year.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Bigger Slice

Latino students accounted for the largest percentage of Orange County’s public school population for the first time this fall.

Public school population breakdown, Fall 2000

*--*

Latino White 93-94 35.2% 47.9% 94-95 36.2 47.0 95-96 37.3 45.8 96-97 38.6 44.7 97-98 39.4 44.1 98-99 40.3 43.1 99-00 41.2 42.1 00-01 42.3 40.8

*--*

*--*

Latino 42.3% White 40.8% Asian 12.1% Black 1.9% Other 2.9%

*--*

Sources: O.C. Dept. of Education, State Dept. of Education