San Diego School District Figures : Minority Students Again Outnumber Whites

For at least the ninth year in a row, minority enrollment increased and white enrollment dropped in the San Diego city schools, according to figures for the 1985-86 school year.

Led by a sharp increase in the number of Asian and Indochinese students, minority enrollment rose by 2,244 students to 60,266, according to the district’s Pupil Ethnic Census Report. White enrollment dropped by 533 to 51,998.

Whites now make up 46.3% of the district’s students. Minorities comprise 53.7%. In 1976-77, the first academic year listed in the report, there were 80,153 whites (66.1%) and 41,080 minority students (33.9%). The number of minority students surpassed the number of whites for the first time in 1983-84.

George Frey, assistant superintendent in the schools’ community relations and integration services division, said he expects continued increases in the number of Asian and Indochinese students enrolling in city schools. The influx will make it essential for the school system to have high-quality programs for teaching English as a second language, Frey said.

The number of Filipino, Indochinese, Asian and Pacific Island students rose by 1,157 to 18,987 this year, the report shows. The number of Latinos rose by 820 to 22,905; the number of blacks increased by 241 to 18,052; and the number of Alaskan and Indian students rose by 26 to 322.

The decrease in white enrollment was smaller than it was during the 1970s, continuing a trend of the past few years. Demographers have told school officials that white and minority enrollment should stabilize at 42% and 58%, respectively, within 10 years, Frey said.