San Diego and other large U.S. cities are grappling with too many underpopulated schools.

Why it matters: Public-school funding is tied to student populations and attendance, so declining enrollment (and chronic absenteeism) can result in school closures and cuts to classes, staffing, extracurriculars and sports.

By the numbers: San Diego Unified lost more than 8,200 students from the 2019 to 2022 school years — an 8.1% drop — according to recent data from the Brookings Institution.

• That's more than double the U.S. average of 3.2%.

Zoom in: San Diego Unified's enrollment is falling by 2% on average each year, despite the flood of new students in transitional kindergarten classes, the Union-Tribune reported.

• Getting more 4-year-olds in that grade level could help boost enrollment down the line, according to district officials.
• This past school year, the Hoover and San Diego High school clusters saw the biggest percentage drops — 3% and 4%, respectively, from 2022-23, per the U-T.
• Meanwhile, the Madison High and Mission Bay High clusters added 24% and 17%, respectively.

The intrigue: The school district is also expanding the number of community schools, which offer on-site services — from health care to food pantries — to keep families in neighborhood public schools.

Between the lines: A Brookings analysis released last month found parents have been turned off from traditional public schooling since COVID for reasons that include a desire for more learning flexibility.

• More San Diego students are also attending private schools and being homeschooled.
• Yes, but: Experts at the Public Policy Institute of California say the biggest factors in the enrollment declines are falling birth rates and population declines as people move out of the state.
• San Diego is also one of the most expensive cities to raise a family, making affordable housing difficult to find for many, including some teachers.

Zoom out: Other cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City are also seeing enrollment plummet, which is forcing difficult decisions to close schools, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Threat level

UC San Diego ordered that the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus last month be dismantled "out of concern that escalating tensions could lead to violence," the Union-Tribune reported Thursday.

Why it matters: Chancellor Pradeep Khosla's first substantial public remarks on the incident came one month after police in riot gear arrested protesters at UCSD, including 60 students and two faculty members.

State of play: Last week, UCSD academic workers joined other UC campuses in a strike over the university's handling of the Gaza war protests.

• A judge ordered an end to that strike, but protests continue on campus.

Zoom in: The Union-Tribune obtained an analysis of the events that Khosla's senior staff produced three days after the incident, and reporters spoke with the chancellor via Zoom last week.

• Campus police told Khosla "the risk of the camp growing to be unmanageable and un-securable had reached heightened levels," per the event analysis.

What he's saying: The "turning point" that led to Khosla's decision was the peaceful dueling protests by pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators, he told the U-T.

• He said wanted to avoid violence like happened at UCLA's pro-Palestinian encampment a week earlier.
• "The temperature between the two groups, in my mind, rose significantly, based on the reports I was getting," Khosla told the U-T.

What to watch: The university is preparing for potential protests at Saturday's commencement.

Between the lines: The UCSD chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine plans to hold a commencement event today, as arrested students face disciplinary action that could affect graduation.

• Degrees and transcripts can be withheld pending the conclusion of the student conduct process, which all arrested students must go through, UCSD told Axios in a statement.

Keep reading

🏳️‍🌈 Pride month is fully underway around the country, and even though San Diego's official celebration isn't until July, we rounded up some early local events to enjoy this month. (Axios)

🧬 Analysts are predicting IQHQ, the massive life-sciences campus downtown without any life-sciences tenants, will need to pivot to general office space but could lose a quarter of its value in the process. (Union-Tribune)

🛏️ Father Joe's Villages is converting a city-funded, 350-bed homeless shelter into a detox facility. (Voice of San Diego)

Summer is in full swing: the sun comes out around 1pm, it's the first weekend of the San Diego County Fair, and these events await you:

Friday

🎞️Movies in the Park

Catch showings of "Shrek" at the Golden Hill Rec Center, "The Little Mermaid" at Pine Valley County Park or "Wonka" at Doyle Community Park.

🎤 TLC

See T-Boz and Chilli play their run of monster 90s hip-hop hits as part of the county fair's concert series.

😋 Foodieland

Devour food from nearly 200 vendors and enjoy family-friendly entertainment.

Saturday

🍢City Heights Street Food Fest

Enjoy food from street vendors, along with cultural demonstrations and live music.

🎤 Kinfolk Fest

Celebrate Juneteenth with a party that will include live music, wellness activities and shopping.

🏄 Bro-Am

Watch the annual surf competition, beach festival and concert put on by Switchfoot.

Sunday

🚗 Father's Day Car Show

Check out classic cars alongside beer and barbecue.

🎶 Soul Sunday

Dance to local neo-soul, jazz and funk artists at this weekly standby.

Two more events

🎉 Congrats to Barry C., one of the readers who identified yesterday's photo of the Iron Mountain Trailhead.

The big picture: The 5.6-mile hike to the top of Iron Mountain is a perfect way to enjoy the outdoors and celebrate Father's Day.

💭 My thought bubble: Hiking this trail with my dad gave us hours to talk about life — just the two of us, which doesn't happen often given that we live on opposite sides of the country.

• It was a special — and fairly challenging — trek that I look forward to doing again when my parents live in San Diego for a few months later this year.

Pro tip: If you're lucky enough to live near your dad, spend time with him — and not just on this one Sunday each year!