Thousands of students ditch class as anti-ICE protests surge in 2026, watchdog warns
Thousands of students across the country have organized left-wing protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) so far in 2026, according to a campus watchdog report released on Monday.
Defending Education, a national education watchdog, has rolled out a new database that tracks demonstrations nationwide in K-12 schools. The list, which goes back to 2022, has found student protests in 236 school districts across 48 states and the District of Columbia, over the past four years.
The group has logged 334 walkouts and protests so far in 2026 alone, based on news reports, social media posts and press releases. Fox News Digital could not independently verify every instance recorded in the actively updating database.
Defending Education Research Director Rhyen Staley told Fox News Digital that at least 306 of the protests the group tracked so far this year were against ICE.
The protest wave has been prominent in Colorado’s Poudre School District, where nearly 2,000 students participated in a series of student-organized anti-ICE walkouts across multiple schools in early February, according to a report from the Coloradoan cited in the tracker.
About 300 students at Lesher Middle School joined an anti-ICE walkout on Feb. 2, according to the report. That protest was followed by about 500 Fort Collins High School students marching out of class on Feb. 4, about 220 Boltz Middle School students and about 100 students at Webber Middle School on Feb. 5; about 100 Preston Middle School students on Feb. 9; and about 150 Lincoln Middle School students and about 500 Rocky Mountain High School students on Feb. 10.
School administrators, district security and Fort Collins police monitored the events, the report said.
A spokesperson for Poudre School District told Fox News Digital it was "aware" of student walkouts, which the district "neither encourages nor discourages."
"This is consistent with how PSD has handled student demonstrations on a range of topics over the years," the spokesperson continued. "When students choose to leave class, that time is recorded as an unexcused absence. Poudre School District is committed to being a place where all students feel safe, respected, and supported, and where learning remains our central focus."
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Similar walkouts have also unfolded in the nation’s capital.
Hundreds of students from D.C.-area schools walked out Feb. 27 and marched to the Lincoln Memorial in protest of ICE, according to The Washington Post.
The Post reported that students from 15 public, charter and private schools left their campuses at 2 p.m., and organizers said more than 1,000 students gathered at the memorial. Just before 2 p.m., more than 200 students walked out of Jackson-Reed High School, while about 100 students from School Without Walls left their campus near George Washington University.
The students carried signs that read, "ICE Melts Under Resistance," "Keep Families Together," "ICE Out Now!" and "We are skipping our lessons to teach you one," according to the report.
Nati Pinilla, a 16-year-old junior at Jackson-Reed, told the crowd, "It is paramount that younger generations recognize the evil and injustice that is happening in our country," according to the report. The Post also reported that a D.C. Public Schools spokesman declined to comment on whether students who walked out would face disciplinary action.
A spokesperson for District of Columbia Public Schools told Fox News Digital, "DC Public Schools (DCPS) believes that the safest place for our students is in school. While we recognize students' commitment to civic engagement, last month's walkout was not a DCPS-sanctioned event, and the expectation was that students remain in school for the entirety of the school day. Any students who left campus ahead of dismissal will have their absences marked as unexcused unless an excuse note is provided by a parent or caregiver."
On the West Coast, students from schools across the Los Angeles Unified School District also walked out of class to protest immigration enforcement last month.
On Feb. 6, nearly 12,500 students from more than 85 LAUSD schools joined walkouts to protest the Trump administration, according to a report by LAist, citing a district spokesperson.
ABC7 also reported that about 200 students from several LAUSD high schools walked out Feb. 10 and rallied at Los Angeles City Hall.
California is one of a handful of states that has passed legislation allowing at least one school-day excused absence per school year for middle and high school students participating in civic or political events, under certain conditions.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a LAUSD spokesperson said the district "supports the rights of our students to express themselves and to advocate for causes that are important to them" but that its "foremost responsibility is student safety."
The district said it was concerned about "potential risks associated with off-campus demonstrations" so it provides "structured opportunities for student expression on campus."
"Students may participate in peaceful demonstrations during non-instructional times on campus, within parameters established by site administrators to ensure safety and minimize disruption to learning," the statement continued. "District staff also facilitate age-appropriate discussions in classrooms and provide guidance and resources to help students engage thoughtfully and responsibly. Our commitment is to student safety, lawful expression, and maintaining stable, supportive school environments for all."
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A previous Fox News Digital report found several of the high schools where students marched out of class to protest ICE had failing academic records, with math and English proficiency levels below state averages.
Staley called on school administrators to curb the protests to ensure students' safety and maintain educational goals.
"This data shows a multi-year trend of student walkouts for the latest far-left political cause," he said in a statement. "By allowing these protests, school leaders are increasing the chance of harm befalling students and decreasing much needed instructional time in the classroom."
In January, Defending Education also rolled out a nationwide database tracking K-12 school districts that have adopted "sanctuary" policies related to immigration enforcement.
Last month, the education watchdog uncovered a Minnesota middle school teacher showing anti-ICE slides to his eighth grade geography class and offering extra credit to students who watched a 19-minute video on "ICE and Trump’s $170 billion deportation machine."
"Administrators need to put an end to these acts of ‘civil disobedience’ before they lose complete control," Staley added.