Yet the 2024 US Census notes something else is missing— school-age children. Despite adding thousands of housing units, the interplay of demographic shifts, family composition, and economic constraints has led to a reduced demand for new three-bedroom units in Santa Monica, contributing to the broader enrollment decline observed in the local school district.

This isn’t anecdotal observation. It is demographic transition wrapped in the language of progress.

The school district runs parallel deception. Facing enrollment collapse that should trigger consolidations and administrative cuts, they import students from other districts. These families pay zero Santa Monica school bond assessments while their property taxes support their home districts. We subsidize their education while our own families flee.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2025/12/sm-a-r-t-column-the-erasure-how-santa-monica-lost-school-children-and-its-memory-part-one-of-three/