Enrollment of international students in Montgomery County Public Schools continues to decline. But school system officials say those students’ needs are only intensifying. And they need more counselors.
“One of the reasons international enrollment is down is because of the time we’re going through and the really hateful and harmful and racist attacks from the Trump administration,” said County Councilmember Will Jawando. Jawando serves as chair of the council’s Education and Culture committee, which heard from MCPS officials on Monday.
International Enrollment Numbers
According to MCPS, 1,544 international students enrolled from July to December 2025. During the same time period in 2024 it was 2,787 international students, and during 2023 it was 3,082.
MCPS currently has 20 therapeutic counselors for English language learners, down from 37 counselors in 2023, said Oscar Alvarenga, MCPS newcomer transition coordinator. The counselors respond when students are impacted by immigration-related challenges and provide trauma support.
Political Climate Creates ‘Crisis Mode’
“The volatility of the current immigration climate has significantly increased the demand of crisis intervention,” Alvarenga said. He said it is vital to align staffing levels with expanding needs as the current team’s capacity is becoming increasingly strained due to high-intensity responses.
With the current federal administration, the issues counselors are dealing with have changed to “crisis mode” in the last year, Alvarenga said.
“When we find out that a student’s parent got picked up yesterday, and that student is asking ‘Where’s my parent,’ it creates such a crisis where we have to then shift and pivot” to support those students, Alvarenga said.
“What’s happening with this administration is affecting our students in real time, and it’s affecting the level of service that our staff is able to provide,” he said.
“The impact is severe,” said Margarita Bohorquez, MCPS director of international admissions and enrollment. Each counselor is assigned to 2-3 schools and also provides referral support to all schools. Now they are so stretched thin they sometimes have to change assignments and drop schools that need support. Five schools that get a counselor once a week may have to move to a countywide referral system — a “big difference,” Bohorquez said.
Ongoing Tensions
County Councilmember Kristin Mink said that just that morning she witnessed an incident in her district. A teen student was violently detained after his father was detained, even though the student had legal residency and had his paperwork with him. Mink understands he was later released but added — “when you think about the level of trauma that comes from that…”
Mink said she was still reeling from the morning’s incident during the Council committee meeting.
Having staff to help with these issues is not just about translating, but it’s about being culturally proficient, Mink said.
Multicultural Diversity Prompts Needs
About half of MCPS’ English language learners are Spanish speakers, so a large portion of the counselors speak Spanish. One speaks Portuguese for the “huge Brazilian community,” said Bohorquez. The Afghan community has been increasing over the last three years, and there is one counselor from that area. There are two counselors who speak Amharic and Tigrinya, but MCPS could use more to serve the large Ethiopian population.
County Councilmember Shebra Evans said she is so glad MCPS has an international admissions office. A former School Board member, she said, “I’m glad that I was on the board and raised my hand in support of that.”
“We care about diversity, equity, and inclusion here,” Jawando said. “We’re not running in the opposite direction.”
Although there has been a “clear decline” in international enrollment, other student groups are increasing, Bohorquez said. Over the past three years, there has been a 68% increase in students who use McKinney-Vento services, which are for homeless students. Bohorquez said a dedicated staff member specialized in McKinney-Vento is needed.
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