Migrant Education Program and Special Programs
(Migrant Education)
Department of Education~375,000 children of migrant farmworkers
Summary
The Migrant Education Program (Title I, Part C) sends federal grants to states so schools can identify, track, and support the children of farmworkers and other agricultural workers whose families move frequently for work. Because these children often switch schools mid-year or miss school to work in the fields, they get extra tutoring, health referrals, and help keeping their school records connected across districts. The FY2027 budget proposes eliminating this program entirely, cutting its full $428 million (a 100% cut), and telling states to instead use general Title I funds to serve these students.
Who Is Affected
The cut would end targeted services for roughly 375,000 children of migrant and seasonal farmworker families nationwide, who are identified and tracked through the national student data exchange used by every state's program. It would also eliminate the smaller Special Programs for Migrant Students, which funds efforts like the High School Equivalency Program and College Assistance Migrant Program that help older migrant youth finish high school or start college; NPR has reported some colleges already cutting staff and services as similar funding has been paused.
What this cut would actually mean
Without dedicated Migrant Education funding, states lose the specific systems used to find and re-enroll migrant children who move mid-year, since ordinary Title I dollars aren't earmarked or structured for that identification and record-transfer work. Advocates and reporting from EdSource and the Collaborative for Educational Services describe migrant students already falling further behind academically when this support lapses, and historically these students have had dropout rates far above the national average, so losing the program's tutoring, credit-recovery, and dropout-prevention services would likely widen that gap further.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Summary — Official ED document confirming the Administration proposes zero funding for Migrant Education in FY2027 as part of a plan to shift education control to states.
- Trump's FY 2027 budget would slash $8.5B from selected K-12 programs - K-12 Dive — Confirms the $428 million elimination of Migrant Education and Special Programs for Migrant Students in the FY2027 request.
- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Congressional Justification - Education for the Disadvantaged — Agency justification stating the elimination is meant to return education control to states and reduce the federal role.
- Migrant education helps farmworkers' children catch up; Trump wants to end it - EdSource — Reports the administration's rationale and describes how migrant education services help farmworkers' children keep up academically despite frequent moves.
- Children of migrant farm workers lose vital education services amid funding freeze - Collaborative for Educational Services — Describes real-world consequences for migrant students in Massachusetts when Migrant Education Program funding was disrupted.
- Colleges pull back as Trump cuts programs that help migrant students - NPR — Reports that colleges have laid off staff and reduced services after federal funding cuts affecting migrant student support programs.
- Executive Summary, Participation of Migrant Students in Title I MEP Summer-Term Projects - NCES — Federal data noting migrant students have historically had dropout rates far above the national average.
Administration's Stated Rationale
“Program targets illegal immigration; states to serve migrant students through general Title I funding.”