Educators working with immigrant families are reporting widespread and escalating effects of heightened immigration enforcement across the country, from elevated student anxiety affecting learning, to reduced student attendance.
That’s one of the key findings from a national survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center from Sept. 24 to Nov. 3 of 693 educators. Eighty six percent of the survey respondents said they have current students from immigrant families in which the children or at least one parent were born outside the United States.
Since January, when the Trump administration rescinded a policy protecting schools from immigration enforcement by labeling them “sensitive locations,” school and district leaders have reported increased fear and anxiety from students and families regarding apprehension by federal officers.
Researchers this year have identified links between heightened immigration enforcement and increased student absences in California, and lower student state test scores in Florida.
To better capture what educators are experiencing in schools nationwide, the EdWeek Research Center asked the educators about any effects of federal immigration enforcement this school year, and whether they have protocols in place should immigration officers request access to a school building or student information.
Educators report varied effects of immigration enforcement on students
About half of all educators surveyed who work with immigrant families said their students have expressed fear or anxiety this school year as a result of federal immigration enforcement efforts.
While 35% of these educators cited no impact from federal enforcement on their students, 24% reported reduced student attendance, and an equal share said their students were experiencing distraction or lack of engagement in class.
Other reported effects included an increased need for counseling or support services (21%), reduced family or student attendance at out-of-school activities or events (18%), and enrollment declines (15%).
In schools where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, 31% report distraction or disengagement, compared with 18% in lower-poverty districts. Reduced attendance is also more frequent in higher-poverty school systems—30% versus 17% in wealthier districts.
Enrollment declines for the 2025-26 school year were more likely to be cited by educators working with more low-income student populations (19% compared to only 9% from wealthier districts) and those in large districts with 10,000 or more students (27% compared to 9% of those in districts with fewer than 2,500 students).
Educators in rural areas were the most likely to report no impact among their students from federal immigration efforts (50%) compared with educators in suburban and urban areas (28% and 16% respectively). Educators in districts with fewer than 2,500 students were also the most likely to report no impact.
Overall, suburban educators tend to fall in the middle—less likely than their urban peers to see direct effects such as students missing school or falling behind academically, but more likely than rural educators to report growing anxiety and greater demand for counseling and mental health support.
Educators report increased anxiety affecting student learning
Educators who work with immigrant families and work in urban and suburban areas were more likely than colleagues in rural areas to report students expressing fear or anxiety as a result of immigration enforcement (66% and 54% respectively, versus 38%).
Educators working with immigrant families in large (10,000 or more students) and midsize districts (2,500-9,999 students) were also more likely to report student fear or anxiety (60% and 57% respectively, compared to only 39% of those working in smaller districts with less than 2,500 students).
Of all educators working with immigrant families who reported fear or anxiety among their immigrant students this school year, 75% said that fear or anxiety is interfering with student learning “some” or “a lot.”
Fear or anxiety is interfering most in large districts of 10,000 or more students, where 87% of educators citing this concern said fear or anxiety is interfering with student learning “some” or “a lot.”
Reports of learning disruptions rise with district size. About 7 in 10 educators working in districts with fewer than 10,000 students said anxiety is affecting learning, compared with 87% in large districts with 10,000 or more students. In those larger systems, 42% said the effect is “a lot,” compared with 23% in small districts (under 2,500 students) and 13% in mid-sized districts (2,500–9,999 students).
District responses to immigration enforcement vary
This year, educators found themselves doing everything from publicly advocating for the release of a family from immigration detention to reiterating the safety of schools from immigration enforcement.
But that’s not necessarily the reality for all educators.
When asked how, if at all, educator’s districts or schools responded to federal immigration enforcement efforts during the current school year, about 42% of educators working with immigrant families said there was no response to these efforts. It was the top response from educators.
Twenty-seven percent of educators working with immigrant families said their school or district shared information about immigrant students’ rights as a response. Twenty-six percent of such educators said their school or district provided additional counseling or mental health support to students who have expressed fear or anxiety.
Educators working with immigrant students in the West were the most likely to report that their schools shared information about immigrant students’ rights (43%), compared with 16% in the South, while the Northeast (31%) and Midwest (22%) fell in between.
A majority of rural or town educators working with immigrant students (55%) said their district had taken no action, compared with 42% in suburban areas and just 17% in urban ones. Urban educators were also far more likely to report proactive steps: 44% said their schools shared information about immigrant students’ rights, and 39% said they provided additional counseling or mental health support.
Only 16% of rural educators reported their districts shared information about immigrant students’ rights, 17% provided counseling supports, and 10% noted safety policy changes. Suburban educators generally fell between the rural and urban districts in reporting such actions.
Most educators say immigration enforcement protocols exist—but aren’t always clear
Immigration advocates and legal experts have advised schools to consider putting protocols in place should immigration officers request access to a school building or student information.
That protocol can include having front-desk staff first ask officers to present a judicial warrant signed by a federal judge before granting access to a school building.
While most educators working with immigrant families said their school or district has such a protocol in place (71%), about 27% said the protocols are not written down or communicated widely. Twenty-nine percent said there are no such protocols in place.
Another 30% of educators working with immigrant families said they simply “did not know” and were excluded from further analysis.
Educators working with immigrant families in urban and suburban areas were more likely to say written protocols exist and are communicated to staff (57% and 54% respectively) than their colleagues in rural areas (30%).
Educators working with immigrant families in rural areas were the most likely to report having no protocols in place (40%) compared with suburban and urban colleagues (27% and 14% respectively).
Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.
