The number of students enrolled in Marin public schools declined nearly 2% this school year compared to 2024-25, according to the Marin County Office of Education.

The figure fell from 30,077 students last year to 29,524. John Carroll, the county superintendent of schools, said the dip was part of the regular ebb and flow of student populations.

“A drop of 553 students is not statistically significant — using 30,000 students as the starting population — and could be attributed to normal fluctuations,” Carroll said Monday. “I believe it is also consistent with the modest decline in the overall population of Marin.”

Unlike California’s overall population, which grew by an estimated 0.28% from January 2024 to January of this year, Marin’s population has continued to decline since the pandemic, according to the state Department of Finance.

Other than Marin’s population decline, Carroll said he didn’t want to speculate on other factors that might be at work without any specific evidence.

The enrollment drop this year continues the typical small but steady annual dips the county has had from about 2017-18, when enrollment was 33,741, to present.In 2024, the state Department of Education said school enrollment throughout California dropped by nearly 15,000 students for the 2023-24 school year, marking the seventh consecutive year of declines.

In the Bay Area, some of that trend has been attributed to families leaving the more pricey coastal areas for inland neighborhoods that are more affordable. A lower birthrate statewide has also been said to be part of the mix.

Marin’s decline in school population has been more modest than the rest of the Bay Area and the state.

Marin’s three largest school districts — Novato Unified, San Rafael City Schools and the Tamalpais Union High School District — all lost enrollment this year, according to the county office.

Novato Unified dipped from 7,247 last year to 7,152 this year. It was not clear whether fear of the federal government’s immigration crackdown was a factor. The district said in October that enrollment might fall by up to 150 students because of families leaving the area or sending their children elsewhere for safety reasons.

San Rafael’s elementary district dropped from 4,439 last year to 4,349 this year. The San Rafael high school district declined from 2,706 last year to 2,595.

“Like many districts locally and across California, SRCS is grappling with declining student enrollment,” Carmen Diaz Ghysels, the district superintendent, said Monday.

“While there are likely multiple contributing factors, a close look at our data shows a notable decrease in newcomer students, or those recently arrived from outside the country and are new to the U.S. school system,” she said.

On the positive side, however, Diaz Ghysels noted that the district’s “transitional kindergarten program continues to grow, which is a benefit to students, families and our schools.”

Transitional kindergarten is a public school program for 4-year-olds to prepare them for kindergarten at age 5.

The Tamalpais Union High School District has been documenting a decrease in enrollment since a peak of 5,127 students in 2020-21 during the pandemic. This year, the district dropped to 4,332 students, down from 4,542 last year, the county office said.

“Declining enrollment has been a trend since 2021 and will continue for at least the next decade, similar to statewide trends,” Courtney Goode, the district superintendent, said in an email. “The declining student enrollment trend is the #1 fiscal challenge school districts like ours will face for the foreseeable future and we will need to continue to adjust our staffing accordingly.”

Other district enrollment numbers: Bolinas-Stinson Union, 119 this year, up from 109 last year; Kentfield, 999 this year, down from 1,019; Lagunitas, 168, up from 161; Larkspur-Corte Madera, 1,125, down from 1,169; the Marin County Office of Education, 299, up from 292.

The Mill Valley School District is 2,336 this year, up from 2,313 last year; Miller Creek, 1,739, down from 1,755; Nicasio, 35, up from 34; Novato Charter, 264, down from 269; Reed Union, 1,069, up from 1,043; Ross, 330, down from 340; Ross Valley, 1,734, up from 1,694; Ross Valley Charter, 196, down from 198; Sausalito Marin City, 262, down from 265; and Shoreline Unified, 418, down from 473.