Top Takeaways Schools cite a sharp decline in enrollment among new immigrant students this school year as border crossings have dropped. California had a record-high 236,958 immigrant students, equivalent to 1 in every 25 public school students, in 2024-25. Oakland Unified established programs for new immigrant students beginning in 2012, but is now considering scaling back due to the decline. This time of year, Oakland schools are usually enrolling new immigrant students every day, sometimes opening up new classes to fit them all in. Not this year. “It’s almost come to a screeching halt,” said Nicole Knight, executive director of English Language Learner and Multilingual Achievement for the Oakland Unified School District. “In all of my time, I have not seen anything like this.” Oakland Unified and many other districts across California are reporting a sharp decrease in recently arrived immigrant students, sparking worries that newcomer programs could be scaled back, leaving other new immigrant students in mainstream programs without the support they need to thrive in school. The drop in new immigrant students is likely due to changes in federal immigration policies that have sharply curtailed the number of border crossings since early 2025, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The number of new immigrant students who have been in the U.S. for less than three years, often referred to as newcomers, had previously been increasing statewide for several years and hit a record high last school year with 236,958 students — equivalent to 1 in every…
