In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of immigrant students in Texas to attend school free of charge, regardless of their citizenship, in Plyler v. Doe. Texas had passed a law in 1975 that allowed public school districts to charge these students tuition, or not let them attend altogether. This law was repeated following the Supreme Court decision.
As scholars of history and education, we are particularly interested in understanding how Americans feel about this policy, which has been in place for four decades.
Some legislators in states like Ohio, Idaho and Oklahoma have unsuccessfully tried to make it harder for immigrant students to attend public school, by proposing that all public school students must share their immigration status prior to enrolling in school.
Tennessee considered a bill in 2025 and 2026 that would allow public school districts to not admit undocumented students. Although the bill passed the state Senate, it did not ultimately pass the House.
California provides one of the strongest examples of support for universal access to public education. State officials have repeatedly affirmed that all children, regardless of immigration status, have a right to attend public school. Recent legislation has further limited immigration enforcement activities on school campuses and strengthened protections for student information, reflecting the state’s commitment to ensuring that schools remain accessible to all students.
In March 2026, Republican representatives led a Congressional hearing focused on Plyer’s negative effects on U.S. schools and students, such as straining schools’ funding and available resources. The conservative think tank Heritage Foundation has called on all state legislators to propose laws that would challenge undocumented students’ right to attend public schools free of charge.
But what do most Americans actually think about undocumented students attending public schools? According to our recent survey, which is in the process of publication, most Americans broadly support public education for undocumented children.
Who supports public school for all?
In mid-April 2026, with support from the Public Religion Research Institute – an organization that supports public scholarship on the beliefs of the American public – two colleagues and I worked with Ipsos to survey a nationally representative random sample of more than 1,500 Americans about their views on public education and immigration. It was a diverse cross section of people who held a range of political beliefs and affiliations.
Respondents were asked whether they agreed with the statement: “I believe all children, regardless of immigration status, should have the right to public education.”
This report found that there were clear differences between survey respondents’ views depending on their political affiliation. For instance, among survey respondents who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, 95.7% agreed with the statement. Only 48.8% of survey respondents who voted for President Donald Trump agreed with the statement.
Similarly, 57.5% of Republicans overall agreed with the statement, while 93.9% of Democrats did.
Beyond this political divide, this report found strong support for universal education across all ages, ethnicities, and faiths, with 75.5% of all Americans agreeing with the statement.
The survey revealed strong support for universal education, with 75.5% of all Americans agreeing with the statement. Among Hispanics and Latinos, nearly 86.9% supported the policy, along with 86.7% of African Americans, 77.7% of Asian Americans, and 69.9% of non-Hispanic white people.
In each income bracket, there was more than 70% support for free public education for all. Wealthier Americans—those making more than US$150,000 a year—supported this policy the least, at 70.4%. More than 77% of those making under $150,000 supported it. Among those making under $25,000 a year, support reached 82%.
Among age groups, American adults between 18 and 29 had the highest level of support for undocumented immigrant children attending public school, at 81.4%. Americans surveyed over the age of 60 had the lowest level of support for the policy, at 71.5%.
This report also found little variation by educational attainment, with every educational group supporting public education for all students at rates of 73% or higher.
Across a range of faith traditions, respondents tended to support public education for all students, including undocumented immigrants. The survey found that 92.9% of Muslims, 82.2% of unaffiliated respondents, 81.1% of Jewish respondents, 79.5% of Catholics, and 72.6% of mainline Protestants supported the idea of undocumented students attending school for free.
Evangelical Protestants were the outliers, with only 59.9% agreeing with this policy.
In 2020, Pew Research found 74% of Americans think that people who were brought to the U.S. as young children without legal authorization should be allowed to legally stay in the country. Approximately 91% of Democrats said they thought Dreamers should be able to remain in the U.S., while 54% of Republicans said the same.
