Redesigning California Schools in a Time of Declining Enrollment: Centering Student Voice, Mental Health, and Career Readiness
This blog is part of the Transforming Schools series, which shares effective practices and foundational research for educators, students, families, and policymakers who are reimagining schools as places where students are safe and can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
California’s public education system is facing a profound challenge: massive declines in enrollment. Between 2020 and 2024, the California Department of Education reported a loss of over 400,000 students statewide. While the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, expensive housing, changing demographics, and the rise of alternative education models have driven enrollment declines, these disruptions create an opportunity to build the kinds of schools that prepare students more effectively for today and tomorrow.
School closures and consolidations may seem like an inevitable response, but these short-term measures should not define our path forward. Instead, this moment presents a unique opportunity to engage in a comprehensive redesign of our schools—one that builds schools that are more engaging, more inclusive, and more future-ready, empowering students both to participate in their education and to connect their learning with personal goals and career aspirations.
The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) offers a roadmap for this redesign. In its report Redesigning High School—10 Features for Success, LPI emphasizes the importance of creating schools that address the whole child—academically, socially, emotionally, and developmentally—and provides real-world examples of how to do so. These principles align with the work we are doing at the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD), where we’ve embraced an integrated approach that amplifies student voice, promotes mental health, and helps students discover and pursue their purpose through college and career pathways. As we approach a merger of two of our secondary schools, we are using the 10 Features report as a guide to move from a factory model design to one that creates new opportunities for students to be well known and well supported as they engage in deeper learning.
LPI recommends several evidence-based strategies for redesigning schools, including personalized learning, interdisciplinary approaches, and the integration of social and emotional learning. The implementation of these strategies is made possible by the creation of smaller learning communities within large buildings; teaching teams that take responsibility for a shared group of students with collaboration time to focus on their needs; and advisory systems that ensure every student has a close advisor and advocate, every family has a strong connection to the school, and all students receive the academic, social, and emotional care and attention they need. These strategies provide a path forward for both large schools and schools with smaller student populations to offer more individualized, student-centered learning experiences. Alongside these structures for more effective caring, the focus should shift from standardized testing to nurturing critical thinking, creativity, and emotional well-being.
When we reopen our new school this fall as a merger of the two previously separate schools, it will have many of these features: small learning communities, teaching teams that share students and plans centered on them, advisory systems in which students’ social and emotional learning and mental health are supported, project-based learning tied to performance assessments, and career pathways that feature experiential learning within the community The specifics have been worked out throughout this past school year by planning teams of educators in collaboration with parents and students. At AUHSD, we see student voice as the foundation of school redesign. By engaging students in the transformation of their schools, we empower them to shape their educational experiences.
The power of student voice goes beyond engagement—it is crucial for addressing the growing mental health crisis among adolescents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 40% of teenagers have experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness since the pandemic. Addressing this emotional crisis requires a response that integrates mental health supports alongside academics. Working with UCLA’s Center for Community Schooling and supported by funding from the governor’s community schools initiative, we have also developed a community schools approach that allows us to address these needs directly as we reimagine what schools can be.
At AUHSD, we’ve implemented mental health supports across our schools, drawing on the work of Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a neuroscientist who explores the connection between emotion, social relationships, and learning. Immordino-Yang’s research shows that learning is not purely cognitive—it is deeply emotional. When students feel emotionally safe, valued, and connected, they engage more fully in learning.
This insight drives our commitment to creating emotionally supportive environments in which mental health supports are integrated into everyday school life and class instruction. However, mental health support is just one element of redesigning schools for the whole child. For many students, mental well-being is tied to their sense of purpose—their understanding of how their education connects to their personal interests, goals, and future careers.
Redesigning education also means helping students link their purpose to college majors and career pathways. In today’s rapidly changing world, students need more than just a diploma; they need direction and the skills to pursue their passions. Aligning student interests with academic and career opportunities boosts engagement and provides students with the tools they need to succeed beyond high school.
We’ve pioneered career pathways programs that allow students to explore fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital media, and more. These programs do more than teach technical skills; they help students connect learning with real-world careers.
At AUHSD, we’ve pioneered career pathways programs that allow students to explore fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), digital media, and more. These programs do more than teach technical skills; they help students connect learning with real-world careers. Through internships, mentorships, and partnerships with local businesses and higher education institutions, students gain hands-on experience in fields that interest them. This helps them understand how their education leads to future opportunities.
In addition, AI-assisted support for teachers and students enhances this student-driven approach to instruction and learning, enabling students to take ownership of their education and make informed decisions about their futures.
The future of education must focus on integrating student voice, mental health, and career readiness into new structures that allow for greater community building and effective caring on the part of adults.
Redesigning schools in light of declining enrollment is not about scaling down—it’s about scaling up innovation, empowerment, and purpose-driven learning. LPI’s recommendations, coupled with AUHSD’s experiences, make it clear that the future of education must focus on integrating student voice, mental health, and career readiness into new structures that allow for greater community building and effective caring on the part of adults.
By creating environments in which students feel heard, supported, and connected to their purpose, we can address the challenges posed by declining enrollment and lay the groundwork for a more engaged, motivated, and resilient student population.
California’s education system stands at a crossroads. The way forward requires bold thinking, innovative design, and an unwavering commitment to the needs of students. By elevating student voice, supporting mental health, and aligning learning with purpose, we can build a more adaptive, inclusive, and future-ready education system that prepares every student for success in life, college, and career.