Jefferson County Public Schools is cutting 10 teaching positions at its Newcomer Academy, a school originally designed for recently arrived immigrant students, after a steep decline in new multilingual learner enrollments, according to the Courier-Journal. Between June and October 2025, fewer than 150 newly arrived immigrant students enrolled in JCPS, compared to nearly 600 in the same period a year earlier, according to the Times-Gazette. Newcomer's enrollment, which peaked at nearly 1,000 in fall 2022, had fallen to about 500 by late 2025.
From surge to contraction
The cuts mark a reversal of a recent expansion. In the first five months of the 2022-23 school year, nearly 2,000 nonnative English-speaking students enrolled in JCPS, the largest single-year jump the district had seen. The district responded by budgeting 41 new ESL teacher positions. Newcomer Academy at that time was receiving about 40 new students per week, twice its prior rate, according to the Times-Gazette.
The decline in new arrivals coincides with federal policy changes. The refugee admissions cap fell from 125,000 in the final year of the Biden administration to 7,500 in 2025 under the Trump administration, the lowest level in U.S. history, according to the Times-Gazette. That reduction has slowed the rate of new immigrants and refugees arriving in Louisville.
Despite the drop in new arrivals, the district's overall multilingual learner population has remained essentially flat. JCPS data show 20,090 multilingual learners in 2024-25 and 20,094 in 2025-26, about 21 percent of total enrollment both years. The district's total enrollment fell by roughly 1,300 students in the same period.
Statewide, Kentucky's English learner population has continued to grow. The Kentucky Department of Education reported 54,252 English learners in 2024-25, an 89 percent increase since 2017. Of 160 districts serving English learners, 126 reported increased enrollment over the past three years, according to a September 2025 legislative presentation by KDE. The contrast between continued statewide growth and the decline in new arrivals at JCPS is consistent with the slowdown being concentrated in districts most affected by federal refugee policy, rather than reflecting a broader statewide trend.
Reshaping Newcomer's mission
In response to the enrollment decline, JCPS shifted Newcomer Academy's focus. The school, which opened in 2006-2007 for grades 6 through 12 on a temporary basis of one to three semesters, now serves grades 8 through 12 and allows students to stay until graduation, according to the district's website. It has also expanded its Accelerate to Graduate program for students aged 17 to 21. As of late 2025, about 130 students were enrolled in that program, all over age 18 and typically at least a few years behind in coursework, according to Principal Gwen Snow as reported by the Times-Gazette.
The teacher reductions are part of a broader workforce reduction at JCPS. The district eliminated 648 positions and reduced 32 others for the 2026-27 school year, saving $30.8 million, even as it added 273 new targeted positions elsewhere, according to Hoodline.
Research on English learner staffing
A Title III English Learner program evaluation conducted by the University of Kentucky's Human Development Institute during fiscal year 2025 surveyed and held focus groups with nearly 200 educators, district leaders, support staff, parents, and students. The evaluation confirmed a need for increased statewide support for EL programs, and a July 2025 KDE audit corroborated that finding, according to KDE's legislative presentation. The evaluation did not examine the effects of staffing reductions at individual schools.
KDE data show that each year, 7 to 9 percent of English learner students in Kentucky exit English language development services after reaching proficiency on the WIDA ACCESS assessment. That rate affects how districts plan staffing and program capacity as arrival rates fluctuate.