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.”…