Illegal immigration presents numerous challenges to public school systems across the United States, affecting K-12 public school budgets, classroom sizes, and the additional resources needed for mostly non-English-speaking students. As the number of illegal immigrants increases, so does the burden on the public education system.

You may first ask, why do public schools enroll illegal immigrants? From the Department of Education’s own website: “All children in the United States are entitled to equal access to a public elementary and secondary education, regardless of their or their parents’ actual or perceived national origin, citizenship, or immigration status. This includes recently arrived unaccompanied children, who are in immigration proceedings while residing in local communities with a parent, family member, or other appropriate adult sponsor.”

Additionally, as part of the DHS Office of Refugee Resettlement policy (ORR), sponsors of unaccompanied minor children are required to enroll them in school.

The conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, looked at this very issue in the border states of Arizona, Texas, California, and one non-southern border state, New York. Keep in mind this research ONLY INCLUDES unaccompanied minor children released to sponsors in 2023, excluding a vast number of illegal immigrant children who enter our country as a family unit. If you were to include all illegal immigrants, you’d get a much higher cost.

Here is what the Heritage Foundation study found in 2023 alone:

• In California, 11,121 unaccompanied alien children were sent to sponsors, according to ORR data. Although the exact number of unaccompanied children who attended public schools is unknown, at $16,975 per pupil spent by California schools (combined federal, state, and local spending), that equates to an additional cost of about $189 million for one year if all those children enrolled in school.

• In New York, 8,477 unaccompanied alien children were sent to sponsors, according to ORR data. New York spends $28,261 per pupil, making the total additional cost to taxpayers close to $240 million for one year.

• In Texas, the ORR released 16,394 unaccompanied alien children to sponsors. At $13,900 per pupil, per year, those additional students cumulatively cost nearly an additional $228 million for one year.

• In Arizona, 861 unaccompanied alien children were released to sponsors, according to ORR data. Arizona spends $11,625 per pupil annually, leading to an additional cost of more than $10 million to Arizona taxpayers for one year.

As a result of this influx, schools in New York were forced to go virtual to allow migrants to live in the school gym. In Texas, two high schools affected by a large influx of migrants had to create classrooms in hallways. As mentioned before, most of the migrants do not speak English fluently, creating even more challenges for teachers and teaching assistants.

With limited resources, school districts often must rely on property taxes to make up for budget shortfalls. However, as the cost of educating undocumented children continues to rise, property taxes may need to be increased, placing an additional burden on taxpayers. This comes on top of an already inflationary economy of higher mortgage rates, increased rents, and a housing shortage exacerbating housing costs.