Mapping the Impact of Immigration on Public Schools

This analysis merges Census Bureau data with Google Maps API to provide a visual representation of immigration’s (legal and illegal together) impact on public schools at the local level based on the 2,351 Census Bureau-designated Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs). Each PUMA very roughly includes seven high schools on average, which allows the most detailed look at the local level with public-use Census Bureau data. We also report statistics by state and metropolitan area. The findings show that, in many areas, immigration has an enormous effect on schools. The share of students from households headed by an immigrant (legal or illegal) is so large in parts of the country that it raises profound questions about assimilation.

What’s more, immigrant households tend to have more students in school on average than households headed by the U.S.-born. A larger share of students from immigrant households also come from low-income families and speak a foreign language at home. This likely creates significant challenges for many schools, often in areas that are already struggling to educate students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Among the findings:

• The 11 million public school students in 2021 from immigrant-headed households (legal and illegal) accounted for nearly one out of four (23 percent) students in public schools. This is double the 11 percent in 1990 and more than triple the 7 percent in 1980.¹
• Of students in immigrant households in 2021, 83 percent were born in the United States.
• There are 55 public school students per 100 immigrant households, compared to 33 per hundred in households headed by the U.S.-born. This is partly because immigrants are younger and are more likely to have children and partly because immigrants (91 percent) are more likely to send their children to public schools than the U.S.-born (85 percent).
• In 2021, our best estimate is that 29 percent (3.2 million) of public school students from immigrant households were from households headed by an illegal immigrant. However, this estimate does not reflect the on-going border crisis and huge influx that began in 2021.²
• The impact of immigration on schools tends to be concentrated; just 700 of the nation’s 2,351 Census Bureau-designated PUMAs account for two-thirds (seven million) of students from immigrant households; these same PUMAs account for just over one-third of total public school enrollment.
• The average public school student from an immigrant household lives in an area in which 39 percent of their fellow public school students are also from immigrant households; and one third live in an area in which more than half of students are from immigrant households.
• There are 287 PUMAs where more than half of students are from immigrant households. While these areas of very heavy immigrant settlement are concentrated in few states, there are a number of areas throughout the country where students from immigrant households comprise a very high share of public school students:
  • 96 percent in Elmhurst and South Corona, New York City, N.Y.
  • 87 percent in Northeast Dade County, North Central Hialeah City, Fla.
  • 83 percent in Los Angeles County (Central), Los Angles City, Koreatown, Calif.
  • 82 percent in Prince George’s County (Northwest), College Park City, and Langley Park, Md.
  • 79 percent in Union County (Northeast), Elizabeth City, N.J.
  • 78 percent in Houston City (West), Westpark Tollway, West of Beltway TX-8, Texas
  • 74 percent in Suffolk County (North), Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop, Mass.
  • 73 percent in Fairfax County (East Central), Annandale, W. Falls Church, Bailey’s Crossroads, Va.
• Immigration has added disproportionately to the number of low-income students in public schools. In 2021, 21 percent of public school students from immigrant households lived in poverty and they accounted for 29 percent of all students living below the poverty line.
• Immigrants often settle in areas of high poverty, adding to the challenges for schools in these areas. In the 200 PUMAs with the highest poverty rates in the country, where poverty among students averages 41 percent, nearly 30 percent of students are from immigrant households.
• The lower income of immigrant households likely creates challenges for schools in some areas because tax contributions generally reflect income levels. As a result, immigration can cause a significant increase in enrollment without a corresponding increase in tax revenue.
• Immigration has added significantly to the population of students who speak a foreign language at home. In 2021, 22 percent of public school students spoke a language other than English at home. This compares to 14 percent in 1990 and 9 percent in 1980.³
• On average, public school students who themselves speak a foreign language at home live in a PUMA in which 39 percent of their fellow students also speak a foreign language at home.
• Though one language often predominates in an area, many local schools struggle to deal with a multiplicity of foreign languages, which likely creates significant additional challenges. In 341 PUMAs (total enrollment 7.4 million) 10 or more foreign languages are spoken by public school students.⁴
• In many of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas (which can include many PUMAs), students from immigrant households account for a very large share of public school enrollment, including:
  • 59 percent in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.
  • 56 percent in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla.
  • 52 percent in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif.
  • 48 percent in San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif.
  • 47 percent in New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.
  • 42 percent in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
  • 39 percent in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va.
  • 35 percent in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
  • 34 percent in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.
  • 33 percent in Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev.
  • 30 percent in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H.
• States where the share of public school students from immigrant households has increased the most from 1990 to 2021 are:
  • Delaware, from 2 to 25 percent
  • New Jersey, from 17 to 39 percent
  • Nevada, from 11 to 30 percent
  • Maryland, from 9 to 29 percent
  • Washington state, from 9 to 28 percent
  • North Carolina, from 2 to 19 percent
  • Virginia, from 6 to 23 percent
  • Georgia, from 3 to 19 percent
  • Massachusetts, from 13 to 28 percent
  • Florida, from 17 to 31 percent
  • New York, from 21 to 35 percent
  • Texas, from 17 to 31 percent
  • Minnesota, from 4 to 18 percent

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