Schools in several U.S. cities are reporting significant drops in enrollment of students from immigrant families, a trend that administrators attribute to increased immigration enforcement and changing migration patterns.
In Miami-Dade County Public Schools, only about 2,550 students have entered the district from another country this school year. This is a sharp decrease from nearly 14,000 last year and more than 20,000 two years ago. School board member Luisa Santos described the situation as “a sad reality.” She said, “I was one of those arrivals when I was 8 years old. And this country and our public schools — I’ll never get tired of saying it — gave me everything.”
The decline in student numbers has financial implications for districts. In Miami-Dade, the drop erased approximately $70 million from the annual budget, forcing school leaders to find ways to address the shortfall.
Other areas are experiencing similar trends. Albertville City Schools in northern Alabama has not enrolled any new students at its newcomer academy this year. Superintendent Bart Reeves explained that the closure of the border is affecting his district’s Hispanic population, which makes up about 60% of its students. He anticipates that reduced enrollment will lead to a loss of about 12 teaching positions.
Personal stories reflect these broader trends. Edna, an immigrant from El Salvador living in Florida, took temporary custody of seven children after their mother was detained by immigration authorities. Eventually, all seven children left the U.S. to reunite with their mother in Guatemala.
Enrollment declines are also evident in other regions. Denver Public Schools enrolled just 400 new-to-country students this summer compared to 1,500 last summer. In Waukegan, Illinois, registration for new immigrant students dropped by 100 compared to previous years. Houston Independent School District closed its Las Americas Newcomer School after enrollment fell from 111 to just 21 students.
Chelsea Public Schools near Boston registered only 152 newcomers over the summer versus 592 the previous year. Daniel Mojica, director of Chelsea’s parent information center, said that fear stemming from visible immigration enforcement has contributed to more families leaving or returning to their countries of origin: “You can feel the fear in the air,” he said.
Educators express concern about how these changes affect both academic progress and social development for all students involved. Fernando Hernandez, principal at Perkins K-8 school in San Diego, noted that he has not enrolled any newcomer students so far this school year despite having supported many such children previously. He worries about isolation among students: “This is like a repeat of the pandemic where the kids are isolated, locked up, not socializing,” he said. “These kids, they have to be in school.”
Some parents remain cautious but continue sending their children to school despite fears related to immigration enforcement.
