What is an EL student and how many are enrolled in Californias public schools?
The California Department of Education (CDE) defines EL students as those who “have not developed listening, speaking, reading, and writing proficiencies in English sufficient for participation in the regular school program.” There are approximately 1.6 million EL students in California’s public schools (K-12). An estimated 85 percent of California’s EL students are Spanish speaking. California serves one third of all EL students in the nation.
