Over 13,000 Immigrant Students Leave LAUSD as ICE Activity and Cost Pressures Mount

Los Angeles Unified has seen a sharp decline in immigrant student enrollment this school year, district officials say, as intensified federal immigration activity combined with long-term economic pressures have pushed families to pull children from schools or leave the area. Officials report the district lost more than 13,000 immigrant students—largely Hispanic—after a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles this spring.

According to district figures, LAUSD now educates roughly 62,000 English learners, down from more than 75,000 in the 2024–25 school year. The drop continues a longer-term slide: in 2018–19 LAUSD enrolled more than 157,000 English learners, and internal data indicate immigrant children made up about 45% of enrollment in 2003, when more than 325,000 English learners attended the system.

Community fears after school visits by federal agents

Parents and advocates say the recent ICE activity had an immediate and chilling effect. Evelyn Aleman, founder of the parents’ group Our Voice, said families are increasingly afraid of separation and detention. She described incidents in April when federal agents came to two LAUSD campuses seeking access to young students. School staff denied the agents entry in those cases, but Aleman said at least two students were arrested and detained by ICE outside school grounds.

“It isn’t because they don’t want to be in school,” Aleman said. “A big concern for families is that they’re going to be separated. Rather than see that, many are choosing to self-deport, or older students are choosing not to return.”

Officials and researchers say other long-running factors are also at work: rising housing costs, falling birth rates and a tight local economy have prompted families to move or to have fewer children. LAUSD Board Member Tanya Ortiz-Franklin noted that demographic shifts and the high cost of living in Los Angeles are accelerating the decline.

District response and services

To reassure families and protect students, LAUSD has implemented several measures. The district established "perimeters of safety" around campuses, instructed staff to refuse entry to enforcement agents without warrants, and warned families to avoid school grounds when volunteer sentries spot enforcement activity nearby. LAUSD also set up a free legal-defense fund for affected families and has expanded services such as free busing, legal clinics, and remote learning options when necessary.

Despite these steps, experts caution that the district may struggle to restore confidence. Pedro Noguera, dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, said the protections are important but limited in their ability to reverse larger demographic and economic trends. Julien Lafortune, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, characterized the shift as the inverse of earlier growth driven by immigrant families, calling it "a bust after the boom."

Financial and operational impact

LAUSD’s overall enrollment has fallen dramatically since its peak. The roughly 1,500-school district enrolled 392,654 students this year, down about 4% from last year’s 409,108 and far below the 2002 peak of 746,831. District leaders say lower-than-expected enrollment this year is likely to force difficult choices, including school closures or repurposing unused campus buildings for housing or other needs.

Officials also note it is difficult to track precisely where departing families relocate. During the pandemic, the superintendent reported that some families left the state for places such as Texas and Florida for economic reasons; ongoing migration patterns remain a key variable in enrollment forecasts.

Looking ahead

LAUSD faces a convergence of trends—heightened immigration enforcement concerns, affordability pressures, and demographic shifts—that together are driving the steep decline in immigrant enrollment. District leaders, advocates and policy experts say addressing the problem will require both immediate protections for families and longer-term policy responses to housing, economic and demographic challenges.