The Growing Numbers of Limited English Proficient Students, 1991-2002

Each year, the United States Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students issues data from its Survey of the States. These data, published by The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, demonstrate the acceleration of the number of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students not only in those states that have a history of linguistic and cultural diversity, but also in a large group of additional states that have experienced notable increases in immigration over the past decade.

Number of LEP Students, 2001-2002

See graphic at right.

LEP Population Growth, 1992-2002

See graphic at right.

Nationwide LEP Enrollment & Total K-12 Enrollment, 1991-2002

 

Year

Total K-12 Enrollment

Growth Since 1991

LEP Enrollment

Growth Since 1991

1991–92

43,134,517

2,430,712

92–93

44,444,939

3%

2,735,952

13%

93–94

45,443,389

5%

3,037,922

25%

94–95

47,745,835

11%

3,184,696

31%

95–96

47,582,665

10%

3,228,799

33%

96–97

46,714,980

8%

3,452,073

42%

97–98

46,023,969

7%

3,470,268

43%

98–99

46,153,266

7%

3,540,673

46%

99–00

47,356,089

10%

4,416,580

82%

00–01

47,665,483

11%

4,584,946

89%

01–02

48,296,777

12%

4,747,763

95%

Most Commonly Spoken Languages Nationwide

English
Spanish
Vietnamese
Hmong
Haitian Creole
Korean
Arabic
Chinese, Cantonese
Russian
Tagalog
Chinese, unspecified
Navajo
Khmer
Portuguese
Urdu
Chinese, Mandarin
Serbo-Croatian
Lao
Japanese

Source: The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition website, www.ncela.gwu.edu. The NCELA website provides the information presented above along with a wealth of other national and state data about students’ English language acquisition patterns, educational programs for English language learners. The national information represented here can be found on a one-page poster at www.ncela.gwu.edu/states/stateposter.pdf. For specific information about English language learners in your state, don’t miss State Elementary & Secondary LEP Enrollment Growth and Top Languages, 2000—2001, available at www.ncela.gwu.edu/states/reports/statedata/2001/index.html.