The once-bustling hallways and dorms at the Wind River Job Corps site in Riverton, Wyoming are now relatively quiet, students say.
Earlier this year, there were about 200 young people enrolled in the high school and career-path program. Now, there鈥檚 around 100.
That鈥檚 according to 22-year-old Kay Huven from Moorcroft, Wyo. Some students and trade certificates. Others, like Huven, chose to leave early amid all the uncertainty.
鈥淪o, I was just like, I can't really depend on something that's always a 鈥榳hat if鈥� because of this whole thing that鈥檚 going on,鈥� said Huven.
The fate of Job Corps is currently unclear. The U.S. Department of Labor programs nationally last month, but the National Job Corps Association, a trade group, and temporarily blocked the shutdown.
Still, enrollment numbers are plummeting, according to the association, which says there were about 16,300 students enrolled as of the week of June 9. That's an about 30% drop from before the potential shutdown was announced, when the association said 24,300 students were enrolled, and more students could choose to leave.
"Some students are still waiting to decide whether to return based on the judge鈥檚 decision," the association said over email.
On June 17, the association and other supporters argued in a New York federal court that the labor department鈥檚 move was 鈥渋rrational鈥� and that only Congress can shutter sites. Twenty states, including Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada,
But the federal agency has said it鈥檚 allowed to with the operators that run the Job Corps sites, and it points to a multi-million-dollar deficit.
A judge extended the order blocking the shutdown until at least June 25, when he could grant a longer-term injunction. A group of Job Corps students from across the country also separately filed a in a District of Columbia federal court on June 18 to keep the program going.
Meanwhile, national show trends of students leaving.
In Wyoming, Huven is just trying to land on her feet by saving money to become independent. She was studying building construction technology but decided to leave before getting her trade degree, also leaving behind free housing through the program.
Huven has found new housing in Gillette, but she still needs a job.
鈥淚 even went on Facebook and said, 鈥楬ey, I just need something to do, like maybe walk your dog or clip your cat's claws. I don't care,鈥欌�� she said.
According to Jerri Prejean, an administrator at the Wind River Job Corps site, 鈥淢any students have either completed or left on their accord to start their futures.鈥�
Regardless of what happens with the lawsuits, Congress could also decide to cut funding for Job Corps in its budget bill.
Editor's note: This story was updated June 20, 2025 to reflect national student enrollment numbers.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, 糖心vlog传媒 in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by CPB.