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Peniella Irakoze is cold-calling a list of 1,001 fellow students who didn鈥檛 return to Phoenix College this semester, checking on how they鈥檙e managing during the coronavirus pandemic.

The calls have become a regular part of her job at a community college like others across the U.S. that have experienced significant enrollment declines as students face challenges with finances, family life, and virtual learning.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know that so many people were struggling,鈥� said Ms. Irakoze, who studies medical laboratory science and works part time for the college. 鈥淪o many students aren鈥檛 coming back.鈥�

Nationwide, enrollment at community colleges 鈥� which offer two-year degrees and vocational training and often attract older students looking to learn new skills 鈥� dropped 10% from fall 2019 to fall 2020, according to the National Student Clearinghouse.

They were hit the hardest amid all colleges. Four-year universities experienced only slight declines, beating many predictions that the outcome would be worse.

While it was no surprise that fewer freshmen enrolled at four-year and community colleges, delaying studies until campuses fully reopen, the pandemic took a much heavier toll on older adult students who frequently choose the community college route. Many lost jobs or have no time for their own schooling as they supervise their children鈥檚 online classes.

鈥淭he majority of them are working, many of them in industries that have been decimated by the pandemic,鈥� said Martha Parham, a senior vice president for the American Association of Community Colleges. 鈥淭rying to navigate that and take classes is a very daunting challenge at this time.鈥�

Depression and anxiety also disrupted the academic careers of community college students, including Stephanie Cruz Vazquez.

She said her severe anxiety was amplified so much by her virus concerns that she decided last year to take a year off from fashion design classes at Mesa Community College near Phoenix.

鈥淭he pandemic really pushed me over the edge,鈥� said Ms. Cruz Vazquez.

She ended up being diagnosed with COVID-19, along with her parents. They all recovered, and Ms. Cruz Vazquez now works for a local city council race campaign. She plans to return to college this year.

More Americans typically turn to community college education amid economic downturns, seeking to learn new job skills or change careers. But the depth of the pandemic鈥檚 downturn, which kept many people homebound, seems to have upended usual trends, education experts say.

That troubles advocates and policy makers who cite community colleges as important options for low-income Americans. At a Senate hearing this month, Miguel Cardona, President Joe Biden鈥檚 pick for education secretary, called for federal financial support to help hurting community colleges, calling them 鈥渢his nation鈥檚 best-kept secret.鈥�

Even in good economic times, many community college students struggle to stay in school while juggling the demands of supporting families, paying rent, and covering tuition.

The added challenge of the pandemic was too much for many students, said Ralph Thompson, interim dean of students at Phoenix College.

Its enrollment was at 10,978 in the fall of 2019 but dropped to 9,446 a year later, a decline of 14%, according to the Maricopa County Community College District, which counts Phoenix College among its 10 community colleges.

Mr. Thompson assigned Ms. Irakoze to call fellow students to see how they are coping, saying they 鈥渘eed to feel engaged鈥� during their isolation.

鈥淭he students need to hear that someone understands what they are going through,鈥� Mr. Thompson said.

Across the U.S., community colleges have reported surging demand from students who need help getting food, prompting them to expand food pantries and grocery programs 鈥� in some cases tripling the amount of food distributed in past years.

At MassBay Community College near Boston, meal assistance scholarship applications have increased 80% since last year. Dinora Torres 鈥� a single mother with four young daughters 鈥� said the program helped keep her enrolled.

鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 have that, I don鈥檛 know if I could have been able to make it,鈥� said Ms. Torres, who hopes to transfer to a four-year university and get a bachelor鈥檚 degree in accounting. 鈥淚t has been really hard. A lot of nights I鈥檓 not sleeping. Some days I would have to send my kids to my parents so I could work all day on catching up.鈥�

MassBay suffered a 10% enrollment decrease, but officials have been ramping up relief aid for students. Ms. Torres said donors arranged by the college bought her family a Thanksgiving meal and Christmas presents for her daughters.

鈥淭hey got my daughters each a gift. I wasn鈥檛 even going to celebrate the holidays this year because I didn鈥檛 have the money,鈥� Ms. Torres said, holding back tears.

Advocates hope the enrollment downturn is temporary, and some predict many students will return to classes when campuses reopen and jobs return.

But at least some are expected to forgo higher education, which experts say could translate to a lifetime of lower earnings and financial challenges.

鈥淲e are worried about losing some of them permanently,鈥� said David Podell, president of MassBay. 鈥淭hey may follow up later, but each year that they defer their education, the less they鈥檙e going to make in a lifetime and the later the stability will come.鈥�

The shift also illustrates how the pandemic has widened educational racial inequalities.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, the community college enrollment decrease was most pronounced among Black students and Native Americans, groups that both experienced 13% declines over the last year. Community college enrollment for white and Hispanic students fell 10%, and enrollment for Asian students dropped 5%.

About 60% of Phoenix College鈥檚 students are racial minorities, but officials said it鈥檚 too early to determine whether minorities experienced disproportionate declines.

Angelica Larraga, who is in a Phoenix College paralegal program, said the pandemic forced her to give up working as a traveling hair stylist because she could not visit clients鈥� homes.

Ms. Larraga has sons ages 7 and 10 and said the last year has been stressful with them struggling with remote learning.

Scholarships pay for Ms. Larraga鈥檚 tuition and books, but the family鈥檚 finances were so tight last summer that they got help from the local food bank.

鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to make everything work,鈥� Ms. Larraga said.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.