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English Learner Students
In the 2005-06 school year, there were nearly 1.6 million English learners in California
public schools, nearly the same level as in 2004-05. The California Department of
Education provides assistance to local schools and districts to achieve the following
goals:
• Offer instruction to promote the English language development (ELD) of English
learners so that these students reach levels of proficiency commensurate with
native speakers of English.
• Eliminate the academic gap that separates English learners from their native
English-speaking peers.
• Support English learners to help them achieve, within a reasonable period of time,
the same rigorous grade-level academic standards that are expected of all
students.
Basic Facts—California Language Census, Spring 2005
English learners constitute a significant portion of California public school students:
• The 1,571,463 English learners constitute almost 25 percent of the total
enrollment in California public schools.
• 2,695,428 students speak a language other than English in their homes. This
represents about 42 percent of the state’s public school enrollment.
• The majority of English learners (about 67 percent) are enrolled in the elementary
grades, kindergarten through grade six. Thirty-three percent are enrolled in the
secondary grades, seven through twelve.
English learners come from many language groups, but approximately 95 percent
speak one of the top ten languages in the state:
• The top ten language groups in rank order are (1) Spanish, 85.4 percent;
(2) Vietnamese, 2.2 percent; (3) Cantonese, 1.4 percent; (4) Hmong, 1.4 percent;
(5) Pilipino (Filipino or Tagalog), 1.4 percent; (6) Korean, 1.0 percent;
(7) Mandarin, 0.8 percent; (8) Punjabi, 0.6 percent; (9) Armenian, 0.6 percent; and
(10) Khmer, 0.5 percent, and Cambodian, 0.5 percent.
English learners are placed in specific instructional settings in accord with the statutes
and regulations established by Proposition 227:
• 737,337 (47 percent) English learners are enrolled in structured English
immersion settings.
• 106,055 (7 percent) English learners have been placed in an alternative program
(e.g., bilingual instruction) as a result of a parental waiver.
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