School Districts That Sponsor H-1B Visas, State by State: Where International Teachers Actually Get Hired

Dallas, Denver, Milwaukee and a string of rural Carolina districts file H-1B petitions every year, but nearly all of them still need you to win the lottery.

The school districts that sponsor H-1B visas most often, in the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract F1Jobs uses (petition decisions, FY2024 through a partial FY2026), include Dallas ISD (567, the largest), Denver Public Schools (257), Harmony Public Schools in Houston (220), DC Public Schools (134 + 120 under two name records) and Milwaukee (148 + 90). Savannah-Chatham in Georgia, New York City's Department of Education and Jackson, Mississippi also have large records, and so do San Jose Unified, Nash County in North Carolina, Houston ISD and many rural Carolina districts. Almost all are cap-subject: your registration must be selected in the H-1B lottery before a district can file your petition.

Status as of 2026-11-01. The $100,000 H-1B payment under Proclamation 11069 is in effect on paper until 2027-09-21, but courts blocked the agency policies and it is not being collected. Texas's 2026-08-18 K-12 H-1B ban is a proposal for the 2027 Legislature; the January 2026 Texas freeze does not cover K-12. Wage-weighted selection has been in effect since 2026-02-27. FY2028 registration is not announced.

School districts that sponsor H-1B visas, state by state

Public school systems with real H-1B records cluster in Texas and the Carolinas, with large single-district records in Denver, Washington DC, Milwaukee, Savannah and New York City. Dallas ISD leads the USCIS Employer Data Hub extract F1Jobs uses, with 567 petition decisions from FY2024 to part of FY2026. Most districts are cap-subject, so hiring depends on the lottery and a license.

Each figure counts petition decisions (approvals and denials, new and continuing employment) over FY2024, FY2025 and a partial FY2026, from the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub as loaded into the F1Jobs employer directory. It is not a count of teachers on staff or of open jobs.

District H-1B records by state (as of 2026-11-01)

Source: USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract used by F1Jobs, FY2024 to FY2026 (FY2026 partial), read 2026-11-01. Savannah-Chatham, NYC DOE and Jackson have records comparable to the larger rows; open their pages for the counts.

Other school systems in the same extract

Read the numbers with care. A big total can be mostly renewals, so use the new-versus-continuing split on each employer page. FY2026 is incomplete in this extract, while the live Hub now says it runs through FY2026 quarter 4, so a district's current total there can be higher. One district can appear under a full name and under a name cut off mid-word, so search both. And the Hub records the employer that filed: if a placement agency employs the teacher, the district may not appear at all.

Which states hire the most H-1B teachers?

Texas, then North Carolina and California, according to a National Education Association analysis of FY2025 USCIS approvals reported by K-12 Dive on 2025-10-09. NEA counted more than 2,300 H-1B holders in more than 500 districts that year, with Alaska, Arizona, Georgia and Minnesota also high, and cautioned that the data covers only visas approved that year, new or renewed. The Texas Tribune repeated the Texas finding on 2026-08-18. Treat these as reported figures, not USCIS totals.

The Carolinas have no single giant. North Carolina has more separate districts in the extract than any other state, with South Carolina close behind, and many are rural county systems such as Halifax, Warren and Vance or Jasper, Lee and Colleton. If you will take a small-town job, that is where the density is. K-12 Dive also names rural Alaska's Bering Strait and Lower Kuskokwim districts; the extract has no Alaska hub, so check the live Hub for them.

No Florida public school district appears in the extract's Florida hub. Florida's Board of Governors pause on new H-1B hires (in effect from 2026-03-02 until at least 2027-01-05, renewals unaffected) covers 12 public universities, not school districts.

Which subjects do districts sponsor H-1B teachers for?

Districts generally use H-1B for hard-to-staff positions rather than every opening. According to K-12 Dive, some district leaders say they rely on H-1B teachers for "hard-to-fill positions in areas like science, math and special education," and Dallas ISD said in a statement, as reported by the Texas Tribune, that it hires educators from abroad only to fill critical shortages the Texas Education Agency identifies. The Data Hub does not record subjects, so look in two other places: DOL's Labor Condition Application disclosure files, whose job titles often name the subject, and the US Department of Education's Teacher Shortage Areas system, where states report their designated shortage areas. Special educators should read our special education H-1B guide.

Are public school districts cap-exempt for H-1B?

Generally, no. The exemption in 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F) covers an institution of higher education, a nonprofit related to or affiliated with one, and a nonprofit or governmental research organization. A K-12 district is none of these on its own, so its petitions are cap-subject.

The affiliation route is narrow. It needs shared control with a university, operation by or attachment to one, or a written affiliation agreement where "a fundamental activity" of the entity directly contributes to the university's research or education mission. It also requires a "nonprofit entity" that the IRS has determined is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3), (c)(4) or (c)(6), which most public districts are not. Our explainer on why districts are not automatically cap-exempt walks through the test.

Common misconception: "K-12 schools are exempt, so districts and nonprofit private or charter schools file H-1B year-round with no lottery."

Correction: 8 CFR 214.2(h)(19)(iii)(D) exempts "a primary or secondary education institution" from the ACWIA training fee. That is a fee exemption. The cap exemption has no K-12 entry, and 501(c)(3) status alone does not create one.

To watch: "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program" (RIN 1615-AD00) has been under OIRA review since 2026-08-24. Its agenda abstract mentions "revising eligibility for cap exemptions"; the text is not public and the current rules apply.

What cap-subject means for your odds

A cap-subject district must register you and be selected before it can file. Under the wage-weighted selection rule, in effect since 2026-02-27, a registration gets one entry at wage Level I up to four at Level IV. District pay follows a salary schedule, so check where your step lands on the DOL FLAG wage search; our guide to how wage levels change lottery odds shows the math. If you were already counted against the cap in your current six-year period, a new district can generally file without a new lottery; confirm with an attorney.

The upside is cap-gap. Under the USCIS cap-gap rules, a timely cap-subject change-of-status petition extends F-1 status and OPT work authorization to April 1 of the fiscal year requested, or the petition start date if earlier. Cap-exempt petitions get no cap-gap.

Can an F-1 student with a US teaching degree get an H-1B teaching job?

Yes, usually OPT first, then H-1B. The district has to show the job is a specialty occupation, which the USCIS H-1B page describes as needing "a bachelor's or higher degree in a directly related specific specialty (or its equivalent)" for entry. Beyond that, three things must line up: a district willing to petition, the state license the job requires, and, for a cap-subject district, a lottery selection. The regulation is blunt about the license: where an occupation requires one, the worker "must have that license prior to approval of the petition" (8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(v)(A)). The next paragraph allows approval on a temporary license in some cases, so ask your state certification office whether a provisional certificate exists for your subject.

Post-completion OPT gives you 12 months; the 24-month STEM OPT extension applies only if your degree's field is on DHS's STEM Designated Degree Program List, so ask your DSO. OPT unemployment is capped at 90 days (150 in total with STEM OPT), and the F-1 60-day grace period still applies because the duration-of-status rule has been blocked by a federal court since 2026-09-14. USCIS's processing-times tool showed 80% of F-1 student I-765s completed within 5 months (read 2026-11-01); OPT premium processing is $1,780 for 30 business days.

Worked timeline: a May 2027 education graduate

Assume you finish a teaching master's in May 2027, hold a state certificate, and a cap-subject district offers you a math job starting August 2027. Registration dates are expectations, not announcements.

Without STEM OPT you typically get two registration attempts, and a five-month I-765 wait can run past an August start. Raise sponsorship and timing in your first interview.

Does the $100,000 H-1B fee apply to school districts?

Not in practice. Proclamation 11069 runs until 2027-09-21, but federal courts vacated the agency guidance and policies that implement the payment, and it is not being collected as of 2026-11-01. The USCIS Form I-129 page puts the condition plainly: "If this order is later lifted, DHS still plans to collect the payment."

The USCIS H-1B page says the payment does not apply to a change of status, amendment or extension USCIS grants inside the US. So an OPT teacher switching in place is outside it, while a petition for a teacher abroad, or a denied change of status, would be covered if collection resumed. Both rulings are on appeal: Global Nurse Force (9th Cir. No. 26-6667, government's opening brief due 2026-11-06) and California v. Mullin (1st Cir. No. 26-1699, states' brief due 2026-11-04). Check the dockets after those dates.

What is in effect for district H-1B hiring (as of 2026-11)

The Texas Tribune reported that Gov. Abbott wants the ban to "apply to both current H-1B visa holders and any applicants seeking the visas," and that the Legislature, which convenes in 2027, must pass it; our Texas school district H-1B guide tracks it. As of 2026-11-01, neither Texas's freeze nor Florida's university pause reaches K-12 districts; ask your state education agency about anything newer.

How to check a district before you apply

1. Search the district on the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub under every spelling of its legal name, and note new versus continuing approvals.
2. Download the latest DOL OFLC LCA disclosure file (FY2026 Q3 is the newest, per the OFLC performance page) and filter by employer for job titles, worksites and wages.
3. Look up your salary step on the DOL FLAG wage search to see which wage level it implies.
4. Confirm the certification route with your state education agency, including any temporary certificate.
5. Ask district HR, in writing, whether it will petition for this position, whether it files cap-subject, and whether the district or an agency is the petitioner.
6. Check the DOL Wage and Hour Division H-1B debarment list (six willful violators, effective as of 2026-10-01) for the employer and any agency in the chain.
7. Bring OPT and cap-gap timing to your DSO, and petition strategy to the district's immigration attorney or your own.

If an agency rather than the district would employ you, the risks differ. F1Jobs sells a job-search service, so we have a stake, but the test is the same: use our checklist for evaluating an international teacher recruitment agency before you pay anything. If H-1B timing fails, the J-1 teacher route is the main alternative; our H-1B vs J-1 guide for international teachers compares them.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a district, charter or private school is cap-exempt. The K-12 exemption people quote is the ACWIA fee exemption; skipping the lottery needs a qualifying higher-education relationship, not just 501(c)(3) status.
• Reading petition totals as openings. Continuing petitions are often renewals of teachers already on staff.
• Searching one spelling. Milwaukee, DCPS, Houston ISD, Richland One and Savannah-Chatham each appear under two names.
• Starting after graduation. With 90 OPT unemployment days, an October 1 cap start and a five-month I-765 wait, spring interviews matter.
• Reading G-1055's $100,000 line as proof of collection. USCIS's fee schedule still prints it; that does not mean collection resumed.

Frequently asked questions

Which school districts sponsor H-1B visas?

In the USCIS Employer Data Hub extract F1Jobs uses (petition decisions, FY2024 to part of FY2026), Dallas ISD has the largest K-12 record (567). Other large records include Denver Public Schools (257), Harmony Public Schools in Houston (220), DC Public Schools, Milwaukee, Savannah-Chatham, the NYC Department of Education and Jackson, Mississippi. Rural Carolina districts cluster in the list. Counts include extensions, so check each district's new-hire share.

Are public school districts cap-exempt for H-1B?

Generally no. The exemption in 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F) covers higher-education institutions, their related or affiliated nonprofits, and nonprofit or governmental research organizations; a K-12 district is none of those on its own. Most district petitions go through the lottery. The K-12 exemption people cite is from the ACWIA training fee.

Can an F-1 student with a US teaching degree get an H-1B teaching job?

Yes, if a district will petition for the position, you hold the required state license before approval, and, for a cap-subject district, your registration is selected. Most graduates start on 12-month OPT, and cap-gap can bridge a timely change-of-status petition to an October 1 start. Confirm timing with your DSO and strategy with an immigration attorney.

Which states hire the most H-1B teachers?

Texas, then North Carolina and California, according to an NEA count of FY2025 H-1B approvals reported by K-12 Dive in October 2025; Alaska, Arizona, Georgia and Minnesota were also high. NEA counted more than 2,300 H-1B holders in more than 500 districts. These are reported figures, not USCIS totals.

Does the $100,000 H-1B fee apply to school districts?

Not in practice as of 2026-11-01. Proclamation 11069 is in effect on paper until 2027-09-21, but courts blocked the policies that implement the payment and it is not being collected. Even if collection resumed, USCIS says changes of status and extensions it grants inside the US are not covered; a petition for a teacher abroad would be.

Sources

• USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub
• USCIS H-1B specialty occupations, H-1B registration and cap-gap pages
• USCIS Form I-129 and processing times
• 8 CFR 214.2 (eCFR)
• Federal Register: weighted selection rule, Proclamation 11069, grace-period proposal, deference proposal
• DOL OFLC performance data, FLAG wage search, WHD H-1B debarment list
• Reginfo.gov, RIN 1615-AD00 agenda entry
• US Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas
• K-12 Dive, 2025-10-09; Texas Tribune, 2026-08-18

How we checked this: on 2026-11-01 and 2026-11-02 we read the USCIS, DOL, eCFR, Reginfo and Federal Register pages above, the K-12 Dive and Texas Tribune reports, and the USCIS Employer Data Hub extract behind the F1Jobs employer directory (FY2026 partial in that extract).

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-20, EAD and notices, your DSO and a licensed immigration attorney govern your case.

If you are on F-1 or OPT and want a search built around districts and schools with a real sponsorship record, F1Jobs can help you plan it.