CHICAGO — In the last year, thousands of newly arrived migrant students have enrolled at Chicago Public Schools. Students and school administrators have had to adjust to the sudden changes adding bilingual teachers and resources to help students with their new surroundings.
Barbara Quijada is an 8th grader at Ogden International’s Jenner Academy who arrived from Venezuela in July. That school has enrolled an estimated 80 new migrant students this year. Barbara is considered a role model for many of her newly arrived classmates. Not only is she thriving academically but was recently selected to do the school announcements in Spanish.
William Calderon is Barbara’s teacher.
“She wanted to be part of a community,” he said. “She had that special thing that when you see someone you know.”
The 13-year-old spent at least a month sleeping outside the Near North police station while attending school. The family of one of her classmates decided to welcome her into their home until her parents find permanent shelter.
It’s estimated that 20 percent of the nearly 30,000 migrant arrivals are children and hundreds are enrolled in Chicago Public Schools across the city.
NewsNation local affiliate WGN Investigates found that as of September the English Learners program at CPS increased by 11 percent, up from just over 72,000 in the 2022-23 school year to nearly 80,000 this year.