The William S. Hart Union High School District overall saw a 79-student decrease in terms of enrollment for the 2026-27 school year for junior high schools and high schools combined, which was less than they originally projected in previous years, according to a discussion on the item during Wednesday’s board meeting.
The presentation was given by Collyn Nielsen, the district’s deputy superintendent of human resources.
The enrollment report provided numbers on students enrolled both in the 2025-26 school year and 2026-27 school year.
In junior high schools, the school that saw the largest decrease in enrollment was Arroyo Seco Junior High School with a total of 52 students, and for the local high schools, the largest decrease was at Canyon High, which reduced by 76 students, according to the presentation. Saugus High School, which has the largest student enrollment among all the high schools with 2,246 students this school year, saw a 71-student decrease.
For Academy of the Canyons, Bowman High School, and Learning Post Academy, which offer students an alternative to traditional high school through earning college units, credit recovery and independent study programs, enrollment saw an increase of 102 students altogether.
The district only saw a 79-student decrease, according to Nielsen, which is a lot less than the district had projected.
“We were projected to be down by at least 300 students this year, so actually our enrollment is much better off than expected,” Nielsen told the board.
The additional 221-student projected loss, which did not occur, represented approximately $3 million in annual revenue, Jon Carrino, assistant superintendent of business services, stated later during the meeting.
Governing board President Joe Messina asked if the district kept track of where the students head after transferring out, and Carrino stated it depends on a student-by-student case basis and if they disclose that information. The reason why some have transferred out is due to moving out of state or attending another California school district to continue their schooling, he added.
Board member Aakash Ahuja asked if the district knew why some school sites were seeing a decrease compared to others, and Nielsen responded it was due to some areas no longer having additional space for construction.
Messina also added that interest rates are high, and although younger people are moving into the Santa Clarita Valley, many don’t have children.
Governing board member Bob Jensen stated that new developments are a good thing, as other areas in Southern California are landlocked.
