School Integration of Migrant Children from the United States in a Border Context

Since 2008, about half a million children have arrived in Mexico from the United States, most of whom are US-born. However, due to limited statistical data, there have been few quantitative studies on their school integration. Using data from the 2017 School Integration Survey, conducted in 86 lower secondary schools in the Tijuana metropolitan area, we analyse the relationship between students’ liking of school and their binational school trajectories in this border city with high return migration. The results, based on a multivariate statistical analysis, show that students who studied in that country exhibit a lower liking of school, which correlates with a higher number of years of schooling in the U.S. and less time spent in Mexico since last arrival. Various mediating mechanisms are identified, such as limited Spanish proficiency, teacher indifference and lack of cultural identification with Mexico. The implications for education policy are also discussed.