ESL Students Deserve Better Education

With this century’s influx of immigration into the United States, the number of students in American public schools who study English as a second language (ESL) has risen dramatically.

In 2020, the number of students enrolled in ESL classes was estimated at nearly 5 million. That’s about 10 percent of all K–12 students in American public schools, and the number is projected to increase in the next decade. According to the Department of Education, from 2009 to 2015, the percentage of ESL students, also known as English learners (EL), “increased in more than half of the states, with increases of over 40 percent in five states.” From 2010 to 2019, the percentage of ESL students in public high schools increased by 13 percent, from 9.2 to 10.4 percent.

RK

About the Author

Rohan Krishnan

Rohan Krishnan is a rising junior at Yale University and a summer editorial intern at National Review.

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With this century’s influx of immigration into the United States, the number of students in American public schools who study English as a second language (ESL) has risen dramatically.

In 2020, the number of students enrolled in ESL classes was estimated at nearly 5 million. That’s about 10 percent of all K–12 students in American public schools, and the number is projected to increase in the next decade. According to the Department of Education, from 2009 to 2015, the percentage of ESL students, also known as English learners (EL), “increased in more than half of the states, with increases of over 40 percent in five states.” From 2010 to 2019, the percentage of ESL students in public high schools increased by 13 percent, from 9.2 to 10.4 percent.