A RUSH TO HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL

Some community colleges in California say their enrollment is up by more than 10% amid economic uncertainty

- BY ADAM ECHELMAN

ALLEN J. SCHABEN Los Angeles Times ENROLLMENT in community colleges tends to increase during tough economic times, officials say. Above, Cerritos College.

If you want to gauge the health of California’s economy, start with its community colleges.

“When the economy is doing well, our enrollments are down, and when the economy is in a tough stretch or in a recession, we see our enrollments go up,” said Chris Ferguson, an executive vice chancellor with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, which oversees all of the state’s 116 community colleges.

Ferguson said the state has yet to release authoritative data on fall enrollment, but early numbers show upward trends. Some college presidents said they’re seeing over 10% more students compared with last fall. But they said the state hasn't provided enough funding to keep up with their growth.

California is not in a recession, but some economic indicators are grim. Unemployment is rising, and it’s getting harder to find a job. The cost of consumer goods, such as toilet paper and cosmetics, is going up, and economists say tariffs and President Trump’s increased deportations could lead to further economic declines in the state.

“Typically when the economy gets a little crazy, like it is right now, people need to upskill or find new work,” and workers look to colleges for help, said Nicole Albo-Lopez, deputy chancellor for the Los Angeles Community College District. In the Los Angeles district, students between the ages of 35 and 54 are coming back to school in droves—up 28% compared with last year, she said.