Contra Costa County enrollment drops to lowest since 2011

Public schools in Contra Costa County saw declining enrollment for the second year in a row in last year, dropping to 169,604 — the lowest it’s been in a decade.

The county, which includes 18 school districts, saw steady enrollment increases between the 2011-12 school year and the 2019-20 school year, going from 169,394 to 178,406, according to the Contra Costa County Office of Education’s 2021-22 annual report released Tuesday. But after the Covid-19 pandemic shut down campuses, the county’s enrollment declined 3 percent.