# Regaining Ground: Enrollment Trends in the Los Angeles Community College District in the Wake of COVID-19 file\_download **Size:** 1.88 MB **Format:** PDF **Date:** 07/08/2024 [ Download Resource file\_download ](/sites/g/files/omnuum9881/files/cepr/files/ltes_enrollment_brief_final_posted.pdf) This brief examines how enrollment in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) changed before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on administrative data from Fall 2017 through Summer 2023. The authors document that while enrollment declines were already underway prior to COVID-19, the pandemic sharply accelerated these losses—particularly among continuing students, first-time-in-college students, full-time enrollees, and adults ages 20–54. The analysis shows that enrollment recovery has been uneven across student populations, with faster rebounds among dual-enrolled high school students and students under 20, and slower recovery among students with greater unmet financial need and certain racial and ethnic groups. By disaggregating trends by enrollment type, intensity, age, financial aid receipt, race/ethnicity, and gender, the brief highlights how structural barriers related to affordability, caregiving, labor market opportunities, and basic needs continue to shape enrollment decisions. The findings underscore the fiscal and equity implications of sustained enrollment losses and point to the need for targeted policy responses to support recovery and close widening opportunity gaps. Read the blog: [Examining Losses and Recoveries in Community College Enrollment: Lessons From the Los Angeles Community College District](https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/arccnetwork/2024/07/09/examining-losses-and-recoveries-in-community-college-enrollment-lessons-from-the-los-angeles-community-college-district/) See also:- [ Research and Reports ](/resource-type/research-report) - [ Researcher ](/audience/researcher) - [ COVID-19 Impact ](/focus-areas/covid-19-impact) - [ Postsecondary Access & Success ](/focus-areas/postsecondary-access-and-success) - [ Leveraging Technology and Engaging Students (LTES) ](/https%3A//cepr.harvard.edu/leveraging-technology-and-engaging-students-ltes) - [ 2024 ](/year/2024) - [ Postsecondary ](/sector/postsecondary)