Recently arrived immigrant students, commonly referred to as newcomers, comprise an important and ever-evolving group of students in Massachusetts’ public high schools. In 2023-24, one in 12 new high-school students (and one in six in urban high schools) was a newcomer.
These high-school newcomers - here defined as English learners in their first 12 months of schooling in the United States - differ from other vulnerable student groups in key respects. More than half are not present when the school year begins. Some arrive without their parents, scarred by exposure to trauma and violence and perilous journeys to the U.S. Half are 16 years or older when they first set foot in a Massachusetts high school; for many, financial insecurity and debt result in work obligations that make school attendance and engagement even more challenging.
In this follow-up to our 2023 report, Rising Numbers, Unmet Needs, we focus on how districts serve this group of students. Across Massachusetts, districts are struggling to accomplish the dual goals of helping newcomers make progress towards English language proficiency and master the academic content in the state’s curriculum frameworks. Particularly for those newcomers who arrive in high school with very limited English language skills and/or gaps in their prior learning, the path to high-school graduation is extremely demanding, and many do not complete it.
Immigrant youth contribute important linguistic and multicultural diversity to Massachusetts public schools. Many have risked and suffered a great deal to access educational opportunities in the U.S. Their arrival in the Commonwealth offers great potential for enriching the education of their peers and for building a strong labor force for the decades ahead. However, whether these potential benefits are realized will depend to a large extent on the success of the state’s public schools in welcoming and educating these newcomers well.