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Birth rates and immigration policies are causing an enrollment crisis for schools

NPR | By Brian Mann,
A Martínez
Published October 29, 2026 at 3:47 AM CDT

Hundreds of thousands fewer children are born each year in the U.S. and now fewer foreign migrants live in the U.S.. Those two trends have triggered an enrollment crisis in public schools.

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Brian Mann
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A Martínez
A Martínez is one of the hosts of Morning Edition and Up First.