Questions about how immigrant students affect their classmates often focus on whether their presence changes academic outcomes for other children. Research reviewed in the Children’s Equity Project report, The Right to Education for All: The Value of Plyler v. Doe, offers useful evidence on that question.
The studies described in the report found neutral or positive effects for U.S.-born students who learned alongside immigrant peers.
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What Did Research Find About Academic Outcomes?
One study used Florida data to examine whether U.S.-born students’ exposure to immigrant classmates was related to their state reading and math assessment results. The researchers found that U.S.-born students attending schools with higher proportions of immigrant students had higher academic achievement than students with less exposure.
The study also considered whether immigrant students taking more time to reach academic benchmarks affected their U.S.-born classmates. It found no negative spillover effect.
Other research reviewed in the report reached similar conclusions. A National Bureau of Economic Research study found no short-term or long-term harm to U.S.-born students who attended school with immigrant students across the educational and social outcomes it examined.
What About Students’ Longer-Term Outcomes?
The report also describes research from Norway that followed more than 310,000 10th-grade students across 751 schools. Citizen students with more immigrant peers were more likely to complete upper secondary education in their early 20s than students who had fewer immigrant classmates.
The setting and study design differ from the U.S. research, so the findings should not be treated as identical. Together, however, the studies reviewed in the report do not support the claim that immigrant classmates harm the academic outcomes of U.S.-born students.
What Do These Findings Tell Us?
The report describes research showing neutral or positive effects for students who learn alongside immigrant peers. Its discussion also recognizes that educational settings include many factors, and that outcomes can vary across studies and contexts.
The report’s central takeaway is that immigrant students are part of school communities, and the evidence reviewed does not show that their presence lowers academic outcomes for U.S.-born classmates.
Read the full Children’s Equity Project report, The Right to Education for All: The Value of Plyler v. Doe, for more findings on education access and its effects on students and communities.
Additional Content:
What Is Plyler v. Doe? The Supreme Court Decision Explained Can Undocumented Children Attend Public School? Enrollment Rights Explained How Do Immigrant Students Affect Their Classmates’ Learning? How Bilingual Learning Can Benefit Students and Employers How Undocumented Households Contribute to Public School Funding
News Mentions:
The Washington Post | ABC News | Fox 40 | The 74 | The Seattle Times| K-12 Dive| The New York Times
Frequently Asked Questions
The research reviewed in the report does not show this. A Florida study found higher reading and math achievement among U.S.-born students in schools with higher proportions of immigrant students.
The report describes studies with neutral or positive findings for U.S.-born students learning alongside immigrant peers, including research on academic achievement and educational attainment.
No. The report summarizes findings from specific studies. Results should be understood in the context of the research described, not as a guarantee about every school or student.