San Diego Unified School District will increase the number of Transitional Kindergarten classrooms around the district by 10% and reduce class sizes from 24 to 20, it was announced Thursday.
Families in SDUSD can begin enrolling children in TK online starting Saturday.
"Our district went all-in on universal transitional kindergarten when the state expanded it three years ago and we have received positive feedback from families about our TK program," said Fabi Bagula, the district's interim superintendent. "We are dedicated to making high-quality early childhood education accessible.
"TK prepares children for lifelong learning and academic success, and we encourage all district families to apply and give their children a strong start on their educational journey with San Diego Unified."
According to the district, since TK classes began to be offered at San Diego Unified in 2022, more than 15,000 students have participated.
SDUSD will increase the number of TK classrooms from 229 to 252, continue to have two educators per class even with reduced class sizes and be "strategic" about where the classes will be added, a district statement read.
"This significant expansion of our TK program directly aligns with our district's core commitment to educational equity and excellence," said Marceline Sciuto, executive director of SDUSD's operations support. "By adding 23 new classrooms and providing a more favorable teacher-student ratio of 1:10 or lower, we're creating more personalized learning environments where every child can thrive.
"Our strategic placement of these additional classrooms in high- demand areas ensures that more families can access quality early education right within their own neighborhoods."
The district is facing a budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year of $176 million, since reduced to $112 million through actions like supplemental early retirement — which 1,000 teachers elected to take.
The San Diego Unified School District is the state's second-largest, with more than 95,000 students and 15,000 employees across more than 200 schools. It has a budget topping $2 billion.
