Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact-tank, has a research article that details 6 facts about English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools.
Penned by Kristen Bialik, Alissa Scheller, and Kristi Walker, this study acknowledges that, according to most recent available data from the National Center for Education Statistics, there were approximately 5 million ELLs in publics schools during fall 2015 which represented “9.5% of U.S. public school enrollees, an increase from 8.1% in 2000.”
With this data in mind, this research article concludes six facts about ELLs in U.S. public schools (taken directly from article):
- California has the highest number and share of English language learners.
- Spanish is the most common language spoken at home for ELL students, but not in all states.
- Cities are more likely than rural areas to have students who are English language learners
- Most English language learners are in elementary school grades
- A majority of public school districts in the U.S. have English learners in high school.
- Most U.S. public school students with limited English proficiency are U.S. citizens.
While this data applies to public schools, it behooves the TWIN-CS Network to remain aware of the changing demographics of ELLs in public schools as these shifting demographics very much effect our Catholic schools.
