Livable Communities Newsletter

Volume 21 / Number 78/ May 2026

Your Livable Communities Newsletter

The population decline in Ventura County has become a growing concern. So we rightly focus on the causes: the high cost of living and especially the lack of affordable housing for purchase or rental. All of which makes it hard for businesses to attract workers and grow our economy.

This newsletter looks at an aspect of population decline that has a ripple effect. With the decreasing number of school age children, school districts are often forced to take drastic measures to rein in the budget when per capita attendance funding support shrinks. That can affect the quality of education which is important in attracting the young families we need. This is a classic Catch 22.

Using our State of the Region Report, data organized by David Marron on city population in the county, and reports from local news sources, we have turned our focus to how three school districts in the county with significant current and projected declines in student enrollment look to solve this issue,

As always, let us know what you think.

Stacy Roscoe

POPULATION DECLINE EFFECTS ON EDUCATION

Within the overall population decline in Ventura County, there has also been a decline in the number of school age children and an increase in the aging population. This population decline and the subsequent decline public school enrollment have a significant impact on current and future plans for providing education to our area youth. According to Dr. Antonio Castro, Superintendent of Ventura Unified School District, Ventura County is going through and has been going through a tremendous decline in enrollment at a rate that has fluctuated between second and fourth in terms of the steepest rate of declining enrollment across the state.

Because state funding is generally linked to enrollment numbers (per-pupil funding), fewer students can lead to immediate budget cuts, which may strain resources faster than costs can be reduced.

Looking at three county areas where there has been a marked decline in median age and student population, we find varied approaches.

Ojai Unified School District

From the 2021/22 school year to the 2024/25 school year enrollment in the Ojai Unified School District (OUSD) has dropped 9.4%.

OUSD has faced severe financial challenges and significant enrollment declines. The steps they have taken include closures and reconfiguration. In early 2023, the board voted 3-2 to close two schools: San Antonio LEADS Academy and Topa Topa Elementary School with Matilija Middle School converted into a K-8 campus, and middle school students were moved to the Nordhoff High School campus, which was reconfigured to serve grades 7-12. The restructuring process later shifted to closing the Academy while retaining Topa Topa and Mira Monte as K-6 schools and converting the high school to a Jr.-Sr. high (7-12). Meiners Oaks Elementary School will be converted to other uses including an early childhood education center serving preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students. Officially closed in 2024, Matilija Middle School in Ojai has been repurposed, shifting from a school site to the district’s central office and operations hub, with the grounds being used for district athletic events..

These decisions were driven by a 20-year decline in enrollment (which cut the student population in half since 2002) and a "high risk" of fiscal insolvency.

Concerns remain in the community about the ongoing financial viability of the district, the impact of bond debt, and the potential for further closures due to continued declines.

The OUSD board is currently pursuing a feasibility study on plans to redevelop its former headquarters and district office site into a 70–100 unit, park-like, affordable workforce housing village for teachers and school staff, which aims to help recruit and retain staff in the high-cost area.

Ventura Unified School District

Not including independent study and alternative school options, the district includes 9 elementary (K-5) schools, 3 K-7/8 schools, 4 middle schools (6-8) and 3 high schools (9-12).

Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) is actively considering school closures, with potential actions slated for the 2027-2028 school year due to declining enrollment and a projected $11.7 million budget deficit by 2028-29.

From the 2021/22 school year to the 2024/25 school year enrollment has declined 6.38%. The district website shows the 2025-26 school year with nearly 14,400 TK-12th grade students at 28 schools with general fund expenditures at nearly $256 million. There has been a consistent drop of about 300 students per year, leading to several underutilized campuses, and loses out on about $3.6 million in annual funding with 300 fewer students. The district faces a potential "negative certification" if reserves fall below 3%, making the evaluation of underutilized facilities necessary to reduce costs

To address these issues the district has formed dedicated advisory committee that is reviewing school data, enrollment trends, site capacity, and facility usage to create recommendations for the Board of Education. Any school closures would not take place before the 2027-2028 school year. The School Closures Advisory Committee is meeting regularly, rating the sites on a variety of factors. The panel will start with demographic trends and study new housing developments, then move to topics including the age and conditions of schools, operational costs and historical investments from past bond measures. Other variables include academic achievement, transportation issues, earthquake faults and other factors which make some campuses unique. The only two schools which have been removed from the process are Ventura and Buena high schools. A recommendation is expected to be forwarded to the school board by October.

A separate and much lengthier process for surplus properties owned by VUSD, such as sites which aren’t currently being used as schools, is also underway. These properties include Washington School on MacMillan Avenue. VUSD leaders have also discussed moving district headquarters from the VUSD Educational Services Center, a former corporate campus off Stanley Avenue.

Conejo Valley Unified School District

The Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) serves Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, and Westlake Village with 17 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 3 comprehensive high schools, and several alternative schools, including magnet, online, and continuation programs. Key high schools include Westlake High, Newbury Park High, and Thousand Oaks.

The district includes multiple cities and there is no combined graph for their population declines.

The enrollment for the 2024/25 school year dropped 5.83% since the 2021/22 school year. The district has seen enrollment drop by over 4,000 students since 2011, with some schools operating far below capacity. They are also managing significant budget challenges, including potential layoffs due to a canceled federal mental health grant of $11.3 million.

Despite facing a 30-year low in enrollment, as of early 2026 the CVUSD was not actively considering school closures. Instead of closing schools, they are focusing on alternatives like adjusting attendance boundaries, realigning grades, and expanding program offerings, such as child care, to maximize space.

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Other sources: Ojai Valley News, VC Star, VC Reporter, Reddit/Ventura, VUSD website, KCLU, Save Ojai Public Schools facebook page.