Convenience Big Store: Area schools lose up to 1 in 5 immigrant students amid federal crackdown

April 28, 2026

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☀️ Temperature check: High of 90; low of 74. Forecast: Tuesday should be among the warmest and driest days of the week. Stay hydrated, folks.

Good morning, Houston.

Here's what you should know to start your day:

Need to know: Houstonians are feeling a financial strain as confidence in the economy drops the most in a single year since the oil bust of the 1980s, according to the new survey by Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.
Top of the chart: One of the most-read stories yesterday was news that the yearlong relationship between Megan Thee Stallion, the Houston-raised rapper, and NBA star Klay Thompson has ended.

Here's the rest of the news.

1

Diana Cuevas, 10, and Ketzali Solís, 10, read books during Aldine ISD’s fifth annual bilingual festival in Houston on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

Houston-area schools lose up to 1 in 5 immigrant students amid federal crackdown.

An analysis by the Houston Chronicle found that area school districts have lost as many as one in five immigrant students since last year.

More specifically, 20 of the region’s public school districts have lost nearly 8,300 immigrant students and nearly 18,000 emergent bilingual students.

That loss has forced school closures, program cuts and financial losses across districts, making an already difficult period of falling enrollment in the U.S. even more challenging for schools, according to reporting by Claire Partain and Elizabeth Sander.

What's behind this? Experts link it to increased federal immigration enforcement.

Find out how it has affected some area districts and how they have responded to the declines.

2

Camp Mystic failed to train teenage counselors for floods, an expert testifies.

Several cabins with girls as young as 8 were supervised by inexperienced teenage counselors during last year's deadly floods, and some had expressed concerns to their parents about their lack of training for emergencies, an expert told the legislative committee examining the tragedy.

3

Northwest Mall's demolition could make way for a future Houston high-speed train.

Demolition is expected to take approximately 12 months.

4

Ex-Rice quarterback wins $1.3 million in an anti-male bias lawsuit.

A Houston federal jury awarded a former Rice quarterback $1.3 million after finding the university discriminated against him in a disciplinary case.

5

Exclusive: Target expands its Houston footprint with a new major receive center.

The receive center will warehouse imported items with long lead times, such as holiday goods, so Target can more quickly supply regional distribution centers based on real-time store inventories.

6

A Houston suburb retains its No. 3 ranking among America’s best places to live.

Sugar Land retains its strong standing for low cost of living, highly educated workforce and business-friendly environment, according to an annual ranking from Livability.com.

7

Mariachi teenagers freed from ICE detention to open for Musgraves at Gruene Hall.

It’s quite the change of scenery for the McAllen teens who, along with their parents, were arrested by ICE on Feb. 25, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Video: In an exclusive interview with Texas Take host Jeremy Wallace, James Talarico explains what he’s doing to win over Black voters and talks about his relationship with Jasmine Crockett.

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#️⃣ Number of the Day

200,000

That’s the number of properties that could be entered into a higher-risk floodplain when FEMA’s new maps are released. That number could include tens of thousands of low-income homeowners who could be forced to spend about $1,000 per year on flood insurance for the first time.

Sports

Golf: Fred Couples, a former UH star and Masters champion, has committed to play in the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands from May 8-10.
High schools: Check out the schedule for Houston-area teams competing in the second round of the UIL high school softball playoffs.
Aggies: Texas A&M made a big recruiting splash in the Houston area Sunday when Kingwood five-star offensive tackle Kennedy Brown announced his verbal commitment to the Aggies and coach Mike Elko.

📅 Events at the Chronicle

EVENT: How to save on property taxes with chief appraisers

Houston Chronicle and Chron.com readers are invited to a virtual event on April 30 at noon CST featuring local appraisal leaders and Chronicle journalists discussing 2025 property trends, tax-saving exemptions, and the protest process.

🗣️ Opinion

"Houston should keep making its air cleaner. But we should do it with facts, accountability and practical solutions," writes Peter Parlapiano in a letter to the editor.

🏠 Real Estate Roundup

A stretched out cross-shaped footprint creates a unique, curving design for 3 Remington Lane.

Photo by: Houston Association Of Realtors

A historic Shadyside estate built for a Texaco heiress topped Houston’s priciest home sales in March. Take a look inside the city’s most expensive deals.
One of the priciest homes to hit the market in Texas earlier this year is going to auction. The $14M close-in Memorial mansion, owned by a longtime UTHealth surgery chair, is drawing global attention.
After nearly five decades as a go-to shop for Houston’s music lovers and adrenaline junkies, Soundwaves’ last remaining store in Montrose will close, its owners confirmed on Instagram.
A new 17-story downtown Houston hotel is opening near Daikin Park as bookings for June and July surge ahead of the World Cup.