California Schools Close Programs as Enrollment Drops

California school districts are closing classrooms and reassigning teachers as the number of new immigrant students declines sharply. The drop in enrollment is forcing administrators to cut programs that were recently expanded to serve students arriving in their first few years in the United States.

In Oakland Unified, the decrease is severe. The district welcomed more than 1,300 new students from other countries annually from 2017 to 2025, excluding the pandemic year of 2020. This year, only 212 new immigrant students enrolled for their first time as of October 7. Nicole Knight, executive director of English language learner and multilingual achievement at Oakland Unified, noted that most of these students are in elementary school.

The district has reduced the number of middle and high schools offering newcomer services. Last year, 17 middle and high schools provided these programs. This year, that number has fallen to six. Knight said the remaining programs mostly serve students in their second or third year of school. Students are now entering mainstream classes sooner, which creates a challenge for teachers who may not have specific training to support students just beginning to learn English.

Knight stated that some teachers do not feel equipped to help students who have missed months or years of schooling in their home countries. The decline also impacts funding, as districts receive money based on student enrollment. Fewer students means less revenue. Knight added that new immigrant arrivals helped keep bilingual immersion classes fully enrolled. She said the district is suffering from declining enrollment and that the drop makes visible how much newcomers helped the system stay afloat.

Los Angeles Unified faces a similar decline. Newcomer student numbers dropped from 20,755 in the 2024-25 school year to 11,103 in the 2026-27 school year. The district reported an overall enrollment drop of 8.3% between fall 2025 and fall 2027. During that same period, newcomer enrollment fell by 46.5%.

San Juan Unified near Sacramento is experiencing a smaller drop. The number of newcomer students decreased by 13.6%, from 974 in 2025-26 to 842 this school year. Raj Rai, a district spokesperson, said many families arrived as refugees or through the Special Immigrant Visa program rather than crossing the border. She noted that the district continues to see families relocate from other states to join relatives. Rai said newcomer programs and support services have not been impacted. The district recently launched an English Club that meets on Saturdays to help newcomers improve their language skills.

Statewide, the number of newcomer students fell from a record high of 236,958 in 2024-25 to 228,780 in 2025-26. The statewide figure for the current 2026-27 year is not yet available. Sam Finn, executive director of the California Newcomer Network, said the state is approaching a point where a lack of new entries will cause a further decline. Finn explained that the majority of current students entered before federal policy changes and are in their second or third year of school. As those students finish their first three years, they will no longer be classified as newcomers. Knight said the district is working to maintain curriculum and expertise in case new immigrant numbers rise again in the future.