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San Francisco Chronicle
29-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Immigration raid against California farmworkers found to reduce school attendance
An increase in recent immigration enforcement in California's Central Valley appears to have caused a drop in school attendance, a Stanford University researcher has found. After a January immigration raid that targeted Kern County farmworkers, local school districts saw a 22% increase in daily student absences compared with the monthly pattern within the past two years, Stanford education professor Thomas Dee wrote in a newly published paper. The Jan. 7 to 9 raid, called Operation Return to Sender, was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol's El Centro sector days before President Donald Trump's inauguration. The first major workplace immigration raid in California since Trump's presidential election victory, it resulted in at least 78 arrests, according to the El Centro sector of the U.S. Border Patrol. Border patrol agents said they were carrying out 'a 'targeted enforcement' action focused on those with criminal histories but United Farm Workers, a California-based union, said many people arrested had no criminal records, including a lawful permanent resident who was only released when she showed the agent a picture of her green card. A U.S. district judge later barred U.S. Border Patrol agents from using practices deployed in that raid. The ruling, part of a class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of farmworkers, stated border patrol agents in the raid 'more likely than not' stopped and detained people without reasonable suspicion to do so. The raid almost immediately fueled widespread fear among undocumented immigrant families, who said they were afraid to send their kids to school or leave home in case they were arrested. Since then, ICE expanded enforcement activity in Southern California's agricultural regions, including Tulare, Fresno and Ventura counties, the Los Angeles Times reported, as part of Trump's campaign promise for mass deportations of the country's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. The Stanford paper is the first research published about whether the Bakersfield raid impacted school attendance. Using three years of daily data on student absences in five Central Valley school districts where the raids took place, Dee measured whether student absences in January and February, after the raid occurred, differed from what would be expected based on seasonal trends in previous years. He also accounted for events and holidays that would have impacted attendance for other reasons, such as the first Monday in February, which was an annual public holiday in Mexico celebrating Constitution Day, and the Feb. 3 Day Without Immigrants protest, which saw at least 700 Kern County high schoolers walking out of class to protest Trump's policies. The results indicated a sharp increase of more than 20% in student absences in January and February, with absenteeism increasing particularly among younger students. 'Using unique data from school districts in California's Central Valley, this study presents leading evidence that the recent surge in interior immigration enforcement significantly increased student absences from school,' the report stated. 'The increased absences can also be understood as a leading indicator of broad and developmentally harmful stress these raids create for students and their families.' The harm to student learning is substantial, Dee said, compounding the post-pandemic spike in chronic absenteeism, making it hard for teachers to pace instruction when some students miss school, and potentially causing anxiety disorders in children and compromising long-term academic success. California is one of the few states that base state funding for schools on average daily attendance. Dee said that the raid-induced increases in absences will reduce state funds available to affected districts. Michele Copher, superintendent of schools in Fresno County, which has been impacted by immigration raids against farmworkers, said that in the late winter, Fresno County school districts reported a drop in attendance that coincided with reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the area. 'Attendance has since stabilized, and districts have worked hard to help families feel confident sending their children to school,' Copher said.
New York Times
16-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Immigration Raids Add to Absence Crisis for Schools
As President Trump promised mass deportations, educators sounded alarms that the actions could scare families away from school, affecting both immigrant and nonimmigrant students. Now, new research provides evidence that immigration raids did appear to lower school attendance. A Stanford University study found that parents kept their children out of school more often after raids swept California's Central Valley this winter. The findings suggest raids can harm student achievement and disrupt how schools function, even when they do not occur on or near school grounds. The study, by Thomas S. Dee, a professor of education at Stanford University, found that daily absences jumped 22 percent around the time raids occurred. This week, the administration deployed troops to Los Angeles in response to protests against deportations. Absences went up, even though the district tried to reassure families that schools were safe. The new paper looked at attendance data from five school districts in the southern part of the Central Valley, serving a total of over 100,000 children. Public schools do not track immigration status. But a majority of students in the region are Latino, many the children of farm workers with uncertain legal status. Those workers help produce about a quarter of the nation's food — fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts. Professor Dee examined three years of attendance data. He found an unusual spike in absences this past January and February following 'Operation Return to Sender,' a series of immigration sweeps conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
California Schools Seeing Fewer Kids As Birth Rates Fall
California saw a decline in public school enrollment for an eighth consecutive year, amid falling birth rates and the migration of families with children out of state. Declining enrollment in California has been an issue since before the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an indicator of some of the issues facing the state, including falling birth rates, high housing costs pushing families out of the state and lasting impacts from the pandemic On top of this, lower enrollment has major financial and social consequences for California's public schools. In the academic year 2024-25, California schools had a total of 5,806, 221 students enrolled, according to data released by California's Department of Education on Wednesday. This is a 7 percent decrease from the 6,235,520 recorded a decade ago. There is also more than a 20 percent difference between the size of the number of students leaving school (488,295) and those starting it (384,822). Stanford University education professor and economist Thomas Dee told The Los Angeles Times: "These losses largely reflect the fact that there are now substantially fewer school-age children in the state. "This demographic decline is due to both lower birth rates and net migration of families with children out of California - e.g., due to housing costs and the growth of work-from-home employment." Indeed, California, like much of the rest of the United States, has a declining birth rate. In 2023, the most recent year for which the California Department of Public Health records birth data, there were 400,129 births. This is down almost 100,000 births from a decade ago, when there were 494,392 births. The state's fertility rate was 49 per 100,000 residents in 2023-down from 60.6 per 100,000 residents in 2013. However, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond stressed that there has been growth in transitional kindergarten (TK) enrollment-a new grade that serves four-year-olds. Thomas Dee also spoke about "the students who fled public schools at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic who still have not returned." "The public school enrollment losses also reflect an enduring increase in private and home-school enrollment," he added. Tony Thurmond said: "While we have more work to do, the dramatic growth in TK is inspiring and shows that providing rigorous and quality programs can be a key ingredient to bringing more families back to our schools." It remains to be seen whether enrollment will continue to decline in California and what impacts that will have. Related Articles California Reservoir Update as Lake Nears New MilestoneJudge Bars Trump Admin from Canceling Foreign Students' Legal StatusCalifornia Map Shows Cities Where Sea Level Rise Is AcceleratingCalifornia Concerns Over New $2.7B Reservoir 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
California Schools Seeing Fewer Kids As Birth Rates Fall
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California saw a decline in public school enrollment for an eighth consecutive year, amid falling birth rates and the migration of families with children out of state. Why It Matters Declining enrollment in California has been an issue since before the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an indicator of some of the issues facing the state, including falling birth rates, high housing costs pushing families out of the state and lasting impacts from the pandemic On top of this, lower enrollment has major financial and social consequences for California's public schools. What To Know In the academic year 2024-25, California schools had a total of 5,806, 221 students enrolled, according to data released by California's Department of Education on Wednesday. This is a 7 percent decrease from the 6,235,520 recorded a decade ago. There is also more than a 20 percent difference between the size of the number of students leaving school (488,295) and those starting it (384,822). Stanford University education professor and economist Thomas Dee told The Los Angeles Times: "These losses largely reflect the fact that there are now substantially fewer school-age children in the state. "This demographic decline is due to both lower birth rates and net migration of families with children out of California — e.g., due to housing costs and the growth of work-from-home employment." Indeed, California, like much of the rest of the United States, has a declining birth rate. In 2023, the most recent year for which the California Department of Public Health records birth data, there were 400,129 births. This is down almost 100,000 births from a decade ago, when there were 494,392 births. A file photo of John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, taken on March 13, 2020, shows students waiting outside after being let out early following an announcement of a district-wide closure caused by the... A file photo of John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, taken on March 13, 2020, shows students waiting outside after being let out early following an announcement of a district-wide closure caused by the coronavirus threat. More AP The state's fertility rate was 49 per 100,000 residents in 2023—down from 60.6 per 100,000 residents in 2013. However, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond stressed that there has been growth in transitional kindergarten (TK) enrollment—a new grade that serves four-year-olds. What People Are Saying Thomas Dee also spoke about "the students who fled public schools at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic who still have not returned." "The public school enrollment losses also reflect an enduring increase in private and home-school enrollment," he added. Tony Thurmond said: "While we have more work to do, the dramatic growth in TK is inspiring and shows that providing rigorous and quality programs can be a key ingredient to bringing more families back to our schools." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether enrollment will continue to decline in California and what impacts that will have.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
California school enrollment continues to drop as poor and homeless student numbers rise
California public school enrollment has declined for the seventh straight year and the number of students from low-income and homeless families has increased as many school districts throughout the state face financial pressures to downsize. Statewide, perhaps the most stark figure is a comparison between enrollment in 12th grade — 488,295 students — and in 1st grade — 384,822. That's a more than 20% difference between the size of the class leaving school and the size of the class beginning its trek through the public school system. One encouraging note is the growing number of students in transitional kindergarten, a new grade that serves 4-year-olds. Public school enrollment for the current school year, officially collected last fall but released Wednesday, totaled 5,806,221 students, a decrease of 31,469 students or .54% from the prior year, according to the California Department of Education. "These losses largely reflect the fact that there are now substantially fewer school-age children in the state," said Thomas Dee, a Stanford University education professor and economist. "This demographic decline is due to both lower birth rates and net migration of families with children out of California — e.g., due to housing costs and the growth of work-from-home employment." "The most striking aspect of these data is that the students who fled public schools at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic still have not returned," Dee said. The number of students from low-income families rose by nearly 1%, and there was a more than 9% increase in the number of students experiencing homelessness, according to the state education department. The enrollment picture has varied greatly by region — with schools in some areas growing or maintaining as others shrink. Los Angeles Unified enrollment has plummeted by nearly half in the past two decades, from 747,009 in 2003-04 to 387,152 in the current year. Since 2016-17, L.A. Unified enrollment has dropped nearly 30%. Over that same period, the state decline was just under 7%. Among the relatively small number of school districts that showed growth over roughly that same period are Elk Grove Unified in Sacramento County, Clovis Unified in Fresno County and Roseville City in Placer County. Decreasing enrollment is challenging school systems up and down the state because it means they receive less revenue without a corresponding decrease in overhead and staffing costs. The enrollment drop has coincided with an end to federal pandemic aid and lower-than-anticipated state tax revenues that have resulted in cuts to programs and services. The Board of Trustees of Santa Ana Unified on Monday, for example, voted to shed 262 jobs amid declining enrollment and a $154-million budget deficit. Officials described the layoffs as difficult but necessary as the enrollment decline is expected to continue. In a budget presentation this week, Los Angeles Unified officials said they hope to avoid layoffs but will need to significantly reduce the number of employees over the next two years — including through such means as not replacing departing workers, reassigning employees to lower-paid or higher-priority jobs and closing out positions when they become vacant. Over the past decade, the largest drops in statewide enrollment overlap substantially, but not entirely, with the COVID-19 pandemic. The largest single-year decline was the year prior to the pandemic, according to state data. State officials noted that enrollment at private schools also was down from the previous year. Enrollment in charter schools was up, but not enough to account for the overall lower enrollment in traditional TK to grade 12 schools, officials said. But Dee said the longer-term picture showed something different. "The public school enrollment losses also reflect an enduring increase in private and home-school enrollment," he said. "The combination of private and home-school enrollment is over 4% higher than it was at the beginning of the pandemic." Statewide, the enrollment drop over recent years occurred even as the state added a new grade level, transitional kindergarten or TK. The number of TK students grew 17%, from 151,491 to 177,570. The state extended the age range of 4-year-olds who can attend as part of a years-long ramp up, which likely accounts for much if not most of the enrollment rise. The new grade level will be open to all 4-year-olds for the first time starting in the fall. While the number is growing, enrollment in transitional kindergarten is falling short of expectations. Gov. Gavin Newsom set an ambitious goal of 400,000 students enrolled in TK by the 2025-26 school year. However, the governor decreased the line item for TK funding for next year by $300 million in the May revision of his proposed budget for 2025-26, due largely to a reduction in the state's projected TK enrollment. State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said the progress in TK is encouraging. 'While we have more work to do, the dramatic growth in TK is inspiring and shows that providing rigorous and quality programs can be a key ingredient to bringing more families back to our schools," Thurmond said. UC Berkeley education professor Bruce Fuller praised the governor's "heartfelt ambitions" in authorizing state-funded transitional kindergarten, "but he's falling short on implementation." It is also unclear how many of the children enrolling in TK are new to early education, and how many were already enrolled in other government-funded programs. Enrollment in TK and kindergarten is not compulsory in California. 'It's good news that another 26,000 California families are finding affordable preschool," said Fuller, "but it remains unclear whether, overall, the preschool enrollment rate is going up statewide.' About 43% of the state's 4-year-olds are now enrolled in TK, based on state Department of Finance estimates. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
