There are many evenings, Kevin Ritchie said Friday, that the Wal-Mart store in Lincoln is filled with international students from nearby Lee Academy shopping for supplies.

"The local store owners always ask in August: 'When are those students coming back?'" said Ritchie, dean of academics for Lee Academy, which has 85 international students, including around 40 from China. "Those stores benefit substantially from the international student population."