How many school-aged Limited English Proficient (LEP) students are there in the U.S?
According to 2005-2006 data from the states, approximately 5,074,572 LEPs are enrolled in grades pre-K through 12. Based on state-reported data, it is estimated that 5,074,572 LEP students were enrolled in public schools (pre-K through Grade 12) for the 2005-2006 school year. This number represents approximately 10.3% of total public school student enrollment. Among the states, California enrolled the largest number of public school LEP students, with 1,571,463, followed by Texas (640,749), Florida (253,165), New York (203,583), Illinois (204,803), and Arizona (152,962). The outlying areas had the highest overall percentages of LEP students, with the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands identifying approximately 100% of their students as Limited English Proficient. […
According to 2008-2009 data from the states, approximately 5,346,673 English Learners (ELs) are enrolled in grades pre-K through 12. For a snapshot of national increases in the ELL population, NCELA’s poster The Growing Numbers of Limited English Proficient Students presents data from the 1997-98 school year through the 2008-09 school year.
