Skip navigation
Reports & Analysis Strategic Insights Research Subscriptions
Sign In / Create Account Cart
Sign In / Create Account Cart
  • Reports & Analysis
  • Strategic Insights
  • Research Subscriptions

Resources

  • Analyst Buzz
  • Press Releases
  • Blog
  • Resources & Downloads

The Freedonia Group

  • Contact
  • About
  • Our Staff
  • Help Center
  • Career Opportunities
Freedonia Market Research Blog More English-Language Learners Enter U.S. Schools

More English-Language Learners Enter U.S. Schools

by Sarah Schmidt

June 22, 2018

A growing population of English-language learners presents educational publishers with an opportunity to provide them with materials to advance their learning. There were 4.8 million ELLs in 2015-2016, up from 4.6 million in 2014-2016, according the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education.

Spanish speakers (3.7 million) dominate as they account for more than three-quarters of the ELL students and 7.6% of all K-12 public school students. There also were more than 100,000 students who came to the classroom speaking Arabic and more than 100,000 speaking Chinese.

Between fall 2014 and fall 2015, Russia jumped into the top 10 list of ELL languages with 33,057 students being Russian speakers in 2015. ELL students who speak Korean fell from the 10th-largest group to #11, declining from 28,530 in fall 2014 to 27,268 in fall 2015.

As schools become more diverse—with some large districts reporting more than 100 different languages spoken—educators report they cannot find enough resources for some ELL students.

For PreK-12 educational publishers looking to address the spectrum of needs of a changing student body, a good source of information is Simba Information's June 2018 report, PreK-12 Enrollment and Demographics, 2018-2019 https://www.simbainformation.com/PreK-Enrollment-Demographics-11725800/.

PreK-12 Enrollment & Demographics, 2018-2019 covers national and state enrollment trends and demographics in the U.S. It includes the most recent information available on how many school districts and how many schools there are, including how many public schools are charter schools. There is public and private school enrollment data, broken down by elementary and secondary school. Information also is provided on the number of PreK-12 students being homeschooled, students being educated at virtual schools and blended schools, and on the youngest learners enrolled in preschool.

The main source of the compiled data is the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

Have unique research needs?

Freedonia Strategic Insights listens intently to your needs and objectives. Then we work diligently to define and deliver a service to meet them.
Learn About Our Custom Research Services

Subscribe to Our Blog

Stay up to date with the latest information about new market research and news in areas relevant to your business from our analysts and team members.

Simba Information Blog Subscription

Provide the following details to subscribe.

  • Contact
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Career Opportunities
  • Press Contact
  • User Agreement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

Additional Resources

  • Market Size Resources
  • Lawn & Garden Market Research
  • Roofing Market Research
  • Pet Products Market Research
  • Countertops Market Research
  • Power Tools Market Research
  • Publishing for the PreK-12 Market Research
  • Insulation Market Resaerch
  • Cabinets Market Research
  • Flooring Market Research
  • Pet Supplements Market Research
  • Agricultural Equipment Market Research
  • Open Access Publishing Market Research
  • Silicones Market Research
  • For Legal Inquiries, contact Cohen & Cohen
Copyright © 2025 The Freedonia Group, Inc. All rights reserved.