Immigration Policy Pressures Reshape Hispanic Families' School Habits

The 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month Family Voices Survey, conducted by the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, highlights how these concerns transcend individual immigration status. While 82 percent of Latino adults in the U.S. hold full legal status, the broader community reports significant changes to daily routines. Beyond absenteeism, 11 percent of parents have avoided communication with teachers, and 10 percent have altered their drop-off or pick-up procedures to minimize exposure.

These anxieties are also driving shifts in enrollment. Forty-one percent of respondents considered moving their children to different learning environments over the past year, with 5 percent ultimately making a switch to traditional public schools, charter schools, or homeschooling. This trend persists even though 80 percent of parents characterize their current schools as welcoming toward Hispanic families.

Krissia Campos Spivey, senior director of the Conoce tus Opciones Escolares program, notes that internal school climate often fails to shield families from wider societal tensions. To bridge this gap, parents identified a need for clearer information regarding the legal right to public education regardless of status, alongside requests for Spanish-language resources and expanded mental health support for students.