Malibu school enrollment nearly steady after years of decline Play

Student enrollment at the four Malibu public schools this year has dropped by just 35 kids — a sign that the long decline in the number of pupils attending Malibu schools may be over.

After 450 houses burned down eight years ago in the Woolsey Fire, the population of kids in the four public schools began to drop. From around 1,300, it fell in recent years to about 1,000 spread between the four campuses. Last year it actually went up. Families who were burned out in the Palisades Fire down in Los Angeles were renting houses in the Malibu School District. Last year the total enrollment was 1,020, up 25 kids from the year before. This year the count has dropped by 35 students, to 985.

The number of elementary school kids in the two feeder schools to Malibu High did go up slightly this year. Enrollment at Malibu Middle School and Malibu High School has dropped slightly. That might be because of the huge construction project in the middle of the twin campuses, which some parents say is putting them off.

Current enrollment numbers: Malibu High School 351, Malibu Middle School 207, Point Dume Malibu Elementary School 267, and Webster Elementary School 160.

By comparison, Santa Monica's middle and high schools have also generally experienced slight enrollment declines over the same period. Santa Monica High has 2,549 students, down 50 from last year.