Which Sacramento-area students are returning to campus — and who’s getting left behind

A new disparity has emerged in Sacramento-area education: Most of the districts that have reopened or plan to reopen for in-person instruction this year are in wealthy areas, while students in poorer communities remain home with distance learning.

As of Thursday afternoon, nine of the four-county region’s 17 largest school districts had announced plans to return to in-person instruction by the end of the year. Sacramento County Office of Education and neighboring counties said that each school district will decide independently on when they will reopen classrooms.

Several districts are already open, with some using hybrid models that combine distance learning with in-person instruction. Most of these districts, which together educate 106,000 students, are in Placer and El Dorado counties.

The other eight districts had either not announced plans, decided to return to in-person instruction at the start of 2021, or were only opening soon for special education classes. All of these districts, which together educate 226,000 students, are in Sacramento and Yolo counties.

When schools can reopen depends primarily on the COVID-19 infection rate in the county where the school is located. Districts located in counties with low infection rates can generally open sooner. Other factors that come into play include the preferences of school leaders, parents and teachers, the size of the district and guidance from county health officials.

COVID-19 infection rates have consistently been higher in Sacramento and Yolo counties than in Placer and El Dorado counties. At this point, however, school districts in each county are eligible to reopen under state guidelines.

Among large districts in Sacramento County, Natomas Unified and Folsom Cordova plan to begin in-person instruction this year, while San Juan Unified, Twin Rivers Unified and Center Joint Unified plan to reopen at the start of 2021. Sacramento City Unified and Elk Grove Unified are still deciding what to do.

Some school districts that have not announced a reopening date, like Robla School District, have campuses in zip codes hardest hit by COVID-19 in Sacramento County. Five of Robla’s elementary schools are located between Rio Linda and Del Paso Heights, an area with some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases in the county per capita.

Poverty

Among school districts that have reopened or plan to do so soon, about 31% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Among school districts that have not announced plans to reopen, about 61% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Students of color

Among school districts that have reopened or plan to do so soon, about 50% of students are students of color.

Among school districts that have not announced plans to reopen, about 71% of students are students of color.

Research points to a pattern of communities of color nationwide being hit hardest by the pandemic. Some Sacramento neighborhoods have been no different. And densely populated, poorer communities of color have disproportionately borne the brunt of COVID-19’s health and financial impacts.

This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.