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The US population has changed dramatically in the last three decades, as nearly 30 million immigrants, both authorized and unauthorized, have settled here seeking a better future for themselves and their children. Much attention has focused on proposed and actual change to immigration laws at the national and state levels. A less studied, but perhaps vastly more important area of interest, is the effect immigration has on US classrooms — where society’s response will determine the skills of the future US workforce and the nation’s ability to remain competitive in a global economy.

For that reason, MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy has created the English Language Learner (ELL) Information Center, to provide informative fact sheets, maps, and state-level data resources that chronicle the demography and trends of immigrant families and their children.

Top Languages Spoken by English Language Learners Nationally and by State Fact Sheet

Number and Growth of Students in US Schools in Need of English Instruction Fact Sheet

States and Districts with the Highest Number and Share of English Language Learners Fact Sheet

ELLs in Context

In this video, we discuss the distribution of ELLs across the country, their growth in enrollment, and more. (right-click to download video)

In this video, we examine key indicators of ELL students' performance on standardized tests, among other topics. (right-click to download video)

For high-resolution versions, click on: The New Demography of U.S. Schools and English Language Learners and Their Performance in U.S. Public Schools.

Track ELL Numbers and Shares by State (roll cursor over state of interest)

United States
Children in immigrant families: 16,258,571

Children in immigrant families as percentage of all children under 18: 23.2%

Number of ELLs: 5,318,164

ELL share of US public school enrollment: 10.7%

Note: Data on children in immigrant families are from the 2008 American Community Survey; ELL data are from the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) for the 2007-2008 school year.

Fact Sheets

Fact Sheet 1: Number and Growth of Students in US Schools in Need of English Instruction

Fact Sheet 2: States and Districts with the Highest Number and Share of English Language Learners

Fact Sheet 3: Top Languages Spoken by English Language Learners Nationally and by State

More Fact Sheets will be added in the coming months, so check back.

In the Spotlight

Recommendations for Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners
Policymakers and state and local school administrators disbursing federal stimulus funds designed to improve children’s educational outcomes should pay targeted attention to the nation’s growing population of English language learners, a group of researchers with extensive experience regarding ELL students recommends in a new report. The ELL Working Group, of which MPI Senior Vice President Michael Fix is a member, was convened by Diane August, Kenji Hakuta, and Jennifer O’Day. The group’s recommendations were presented to senior US Department of Education officials and other senior education officers, among others.
Download Report

Recommendations to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The ELL Working Group prepared a set of recommendations for the federal reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The recommendations cover five core areas of ESEA policy and focus on improving education outcomes for ELLs.
Download Report

Additional Resources

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA)
US Department of Education
US Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition

For more information on policies and research related to the education of immigrant youth, please visit our PK-12 Education Page

MPI Research

DREAM vs. Reality: An Analysis of Potential DREAM Act Beneficiaries
By Jeanne Batalova and Margie McHugh
July 2010
Slightly more than 2.1 million unauthorized immigrant youth and young adults could be eligible to apply for legal status under the DREAM Act legislation pending in Congress, though perhaps fewer than 40 percent would obtain legal status because of barriers limiting their ability to take advantage of the legislation's educational and military service routes to legalization. This MPI analysis offers the most recent and detailed estimates of potential DREAM Act beneficiaries by age, education levels, gender, state of residence and likelihood of gaining legalization.
Download Report | Press Release

The Binational Option: Meeting the Instructional Needs of Limited English Proficient Students
November 2009
By Aaron Terrazas and Michael Fix
With 1 in 10 children in US schools having limited English proficiency, school districts across the country face challenges in meeting the students' educational needs and finding enough qualified bilingual and English as a Second Language educators. This report identifies international teacher exchanges as an innovative, near-term strategy for school administrators to respond to immediate teaching needs, particularly in subject areas where knowledge of a foreign language is necessary. In conjunction with efforts to recruit local teachers, foreign teachers can help alleviate endemic shortages — particularly in districts that face rapid, unexpected, or short-term changes in the student population.
Download Report | Press Release

Measures of Change: The Demography and Literacy of Adolescent English Learners
A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York by Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix, and Julie Murray
March 2007

Educating the Children of Immigrants
By Julie Murray, Jeanne Batalova, and Michael Fix
Securing the Future: US Immigrant Integration Policy, A Reader
February 2007

For more integration-related MPI research, click here