The Mesa Public Schools district predicts an enrollment of less than 40,000 students in school year 2035-36 from 48,700 students in the 2025-26 school year.
At the Jan. 8 study session district officials presented these trends to the board and discussed solutions to improve enrollment despite declining school-age population and school choice leading many families to go out of the district at the high school level.
The city of over 500,000 people only grew by 65,000 from 2010 to 2020, with Arizona as a whole gaining 48% more seniors over age 65 from 2010 to 2019, leading to fewer school age children and lower enrollment numbers across many school districts in Maricopa county.
