U.S. English Learner Enrollment by State 2026: Statistics & Charts
English learner enrollment varies across state school systems when measured as a student count and as a share of public school enrollment. In the fall 2021 comparison, California had the largest English learner population, while Texas had the highest statewide enrollment rate.
The 2026 title reflects the publication year. The 51-jurisdiction ranking and calculations on this page retain the NCES fall 2021 reference series; they are not estimates for 2026. Later EDFacts enrollment records can support a newer comparison once state headcounts and same-year enrollment denominators are matched. Counts include students currently identified as English learners, regardless of program participation, and exclude prekindergarten.
English Learner Enrollment Statistics
National totals and state comparisons use published fall 2021 NCES values, not later EDFacts counts or proficiency assessment results.
State Enrollment-Rate Distribution
Each jurisdiction is grouped by the percentage of public school students identified as English learners.
The grid uses the published one-decimal state percentages. It is a geographic index rather than a proportional map.
Data analysis
- 14 jurisdictions reported English learner rates of 10.0% or higher.
- Five states were below 3.0%: New Hampshire, Montana, Vermont, Wyoming, and West Virginia.
- The three jurisdictions in the highest band were Texas, California, and New Mexico.
Full State English Learner Enrollment Table
States and the District of Columbia are ordered by the fall 2021 English learner rate. Count and rate changes compare fall 2011 with fall 2021. This is a historical ranking, not a 2026 enrollment estimate.
| Rank | State | Region | EL count | EL rate | U.S. EL share | 2011 count | Count Δ | Rate Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | South | 1,093,968 | 20.2% | 20.8% | 747,422 | +346,546 | +5.3 pp |
| 2 | California | West | 1,127,627 | 18.9% | 21.4% | 1,387,665 | -260,038 | -3.2 pp |
| 3 | New Mexico | West | 59,564 | 18.8% | 1.1% | 59,188 | +376 | +1.2 pp |
| 4 | Nevada | West | 67,003 | 13.8% | 1.3% | 79,347 | -12,344 | -4.2 pp |
| 5 | Illinois | Midwest | 239,519 | 12.8% | 4.6% | 187,602 | +51,917 | +3.8 pp |
| 6 | Rhode Island | Northeast | 17,289 | 12.5% | 0.3% | 7,906 | +9,383 | +7.0 pp |
| 7 | Delaware | South | 16,147 | 11.5% | 0.3% | 7,007 | +9,140 | +6.1 pp |
| 8 | Washington | West | 123,785 | 11.4% | 2.4% | 97,397 | +26,388 | +2.1 pp |
| 9 | District of Columbia | South | 10,035 | 11.3% | 0.2% | 5,337 | +4,698 | +4.1 pp |
| 10 | Maryland | South | 98,566 | 11.2% | 1.9% | 55,618 | +42,948 | +4.7 pp |
| 11 | Alaska | West | 14,017 | 10.8% | 0.3% | 16,530 | -2,513 | -1.8 pp |
| 12 | Massachusetts | Northeast | 97,154 | 10.5% | 1.8% | 71,626 | +25,528 | +3.0 pp |
| 13 | Colorado | West | 91,907 | 10.4% | 1.7% | 112,529 | -20,622 | -2.8 pp |
| 14 | Hawaii | West | 17,353 | 10.0% | 0.3% | 19,909 | -2,556 | -0.9 pp |
| 15 | New York | Northeast | 246,985 | 9.7% | 4.7% | 236,514 | +10,471 | +1.0 pp |
| 16 | Florida | South | 269,534 | 9.5% | 5.1% | 269,173 | +361 | -0.6 pp |
| 17 | Oregon | West | 54,954 | 9.5% | 1.0% | 58,580 | -3,626 | -0.8 pp |
| 18 | Virginia | South | 117,417 | 9.4% | 2.2% | 97,837 | +19,580 | +1.6 pp |
| 19 | Connecticut | Northeast | 47,740 | 9.4% | 0.9% | 31,107 | +16,633 | +3.8 pp |
| 20 | Oklahoma | South | 64,940 | 9.3% | 1.2% | 41,405 | +23,535 | +3.1 pp |
| 21 | Minnesota | Midwest | 76,664 | 8.8% | 1.5% | 70,225 | +6,439 | +0.4 pp |
| 22 | Utah | West | 57,334 | 8.3% | 1.1% | 38,401 | +18,933 | +1.9 pp |
| 23 | New Jersey | Northeast | 112,939 | 8.2% | 2.1% | 57,034 | +55,905 | +4.0 pp |
| 24 | Arizona | West | 93,379 | 8.2% | 1.8% | 96,494 | -3,115 | -0.7 pp |
| 25 | Arkansas | South | 39,763 | 8.1% | 0.8% | 32,814 | +6,949 | +1.3 pp |
| 26 | North Carolina | South | 121,496 | 8.0% | 2.3% | 105,056 | +16,440 | +1.0 pp |
| 27 | Kansas | Midwest | 38,757 | 8.0% | 0.7% | 47,040 | -8,283 | -1.7 pp |
| 28 | Georgia | South | 133,754 | 7.7% | 2.5% | 90,595 | +43,159 | +2.3 pp |
| 29 | Nebraska | Midwest | 23,928 | 7.3% | 0.5% | 20,304 | +3,624 | +0.6 pp |
| 30 | Indiana | Midwest | 72,250 | 7.0% | 1.4% | 51,240 | +21,010 | +2.1 pp |
| 31 | Michigan | Midwest | 91,932 | 6.4% | 1.7% | 76,953 | +14,979 | +1.5 pp |
| 32 | Iowa | Midwest | 31,681 | 6.2% | 0.6% | 22,425 | +9,256 | +1.7 pp |
| 33 | Wisconsin | Midwest | 49,303 | 5.9% | 0.9% | 48,164 | +1,139 | +0.4 pp |
| 34 | Tennessee | South | 57,799 | 5.8% | 1.1% | 32,570 | +25,229 | +2.5 pp |
| 35 | South Carolina | South | 45,620 | 5.8% | 0.9% | 38,553 | +7,067 | +0.5 pp |
| 36 | Idaho | West | 18,167 | 5.8% | 0.3% | 16,269 | +1,898 | +0.0 pp |
| 37 | Kentucky | South | 35,434 | 5.4% | 0.7% | 18,579 | +16,855 | +2.7 pp |
| 38 | Louisiana | South | 33,284 | 4.9% | 0.6% | 13,952 | +19,332 | +2.9 pp |
| 39 | Alabama | South | 34,965 | 4.7% | 0.7% | 19,468 | +15,497 | +2.1 pp |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | Northeast | 77,617 | 4.6% | 1.5% | 49,465 | +28,152 | +1.8 pp |
| 41 | South Dakota | Midwest | 6,539 | 4.6% | 0.1% | 5,307 | +1,232 | +0.5 pp |
| 42 | Ohio | Midwest | 63,879 | 3.8% | 1.2% | 42,824 | +21,055 | +1.3 pp |
| 43 | Missouri | Midwest | 34,159 | 3.8% | 0.6% | 24,891 | +9,268 | +1.1 pp |
| 44 | North Dakota | Midwest | 3,887 | 3.3% | 0.1% | 3,562 | +325 | -0.3 pp |
| 45 | Mississippi | South | 13,597 | 3.1% | 0.3% | 7,044 | +6,553 | +1.7 pp |
| 46 | Maine | Northeast | 5,420 | 3.1% | 0.1% | 2,253 | +3,167 | +1.9 pp |
| 47 | New Hampshire | Northeast | 4,822 | 2.8% | 0.1% | 4,495 | +327 | +0.5 pp |
| 48 | Wyoming | West | 2,537 | 2.7% | 0.0% | 2,752 | -215 | -0.4 pp |
| 49 | Montana | West | 3,569 | 2.4% | 0.1% | 3,319 | +250 | +0.1 pp |
| 50 | Vermont | Northeast | 1,711 | 2.0% | 0.0% | 1,573 | +138 | +0.3 pp |
| 51 | West Virginia | South | 1,906 | 0.8% | 0.0% | 1,865 | +41 | +0.1 pp |
| — | United States | 50 states + DC | 5,263,596 | 10.6% | 100.0% | 4,635,185 | +628,411 | +1.2 pp |
Table analysis
- California and Texas together accounted for 42.2% of all U.S. English learners.
- The five largest state EL populations accounted for 56.6% of the national total.
- New Mexico ranked third by enrollment rate but represented only 1.1% of the national EL count, showing the difference between prevalence and system scale.
- Equal published rates are ordered by EL count. That display rule does not represent an unrounded rate ranking.
Later EDFacts English Learner Enrollment Records
FS141/DG678 is the relevant federal student headcount series for an updated state comparison.
The Department of Education continues to collect English learner enrollment through EDFacts File Specification 141, Data Group 678. State education agencies report an unduplicated count around October 1, including identified English learners whether or not they participate in a language instruction program. The collection contains grade-level records as well as state totals.
A newer state-rate table requires matching the same reporting year and grade coverage across all 50 states and D.C. English learner counts must be compared with public-school membership for that year, excluding prekindergarten to match the NCES historical series. The SEA headcount cannot be replaced by sums of individual schools, which may have different reporting coverage.
The available federal collection specifications establish a route to more recent enrollment data, but a complete, consistently defined 51-jurisdiction extract with matching state-rate denominators has not been established for the figures on this page. Consequently, the fall 2021 ranking, U.S. shares, regional totals, and charts remain a single historical series. EL proficiency and progress outcomes are not enrollment counts and are not used to fill the later-year data gap.
Enrollment Rate and Population Scale
The rate ranking identifies where English learners form the largest share of enrollment. Student counts show where the largest populations are enrolled.
Highest English Learner Enrollment Rates
Top 15 jurisdictions by fall 2021 English learner share.
The chart summarizes the rate ranking. Exact counts, national shares, changes, and all 51 jurisdictions remain available in the state table.
Data analysis
- Texas, California, and New Mexico were the only jurisdictions at or above 15.0%.
- The top-rate group includes both large school systems and jurisdictions with relatively small EL populations.
National Enrollment Movement Since 2011
Annual counts show the longer movement, the fall 2020 decline, and the higher fall 2021 total.
U.S. English Learner Count and Enrollment Rate
Fall 2011 through fall 2021.
NCES advises caution when comparing 2020 and 2021 estimates with other years because pandemic conditions affected Title III reporting.
Trend analysis
- The national EL count increased by 13.6% from fall 2011 to fall 2021.
- Fall 2020 was the only year in the series with a decline larger than 100,000 students.
- The fall 2021 total exceeded the previous 2019 high by 147,709 students.
Regional Share of the National EL Population
Regional totals are sums of state English learner counts. They are not regional enrollment rates.
| Region | EL count | U.S. EL share | Jurisdictions | Rate ≥10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 611,677 | 11.6% | 9 | 2 |
| Midwest | 732,498 | 13.9% | 12 | 1 |
| South | 2,188,225 | 41.6% | 17 | 4 |
| West | 1,731,196 | 32.9% | 13 | 7 |
Data analysis
- The South accounted for 41.6% of the national EL population.
- The West accounted for 32.9% of the national total and contained 7 of the 14 jurisdictions with rates of at least 10.0%.
- The South and West together enrolled 74.5% of U.S. English learners.
Most Common Home Languages of English Learners
Home-language data describe the national EL population and do not represent state-specific language distributions.
| Rank | Home language | EL count | Share of ELs | Share of all students |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish, Castilian | 4,023,289 | 76.4% | 8.4% |
| 2 | Arabic | 130,917 | 2.5% | 0.3% |
| 3 | English | 116,771 | 2.2% | 0.2% |
| 4 | Chinese | 95,584 | 1.8% | 0.2% |
| 5 | Vietnamese | 75,070 | 1.4% | 0.2% |
| 6 | Portuguese | 50,205 | 1.0% | 0.1% |
| 7 | Russian | 39,403 | 0.7% | 0.1% |
| 8 | Haitian, Haitian Creole | 31,122 | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 9 | Hmong | 30,181 | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| 10 | Urdu | 26,567 | 0.5% | 0.1% |
Data analysis
- Spanish or Castilian was reported for 4,023,289 English learners, equal to 76.4% of the national EL population.
- The remaining named languages show that the EL category includes many language communities beyond Spanish-speaking students.
- English can appear as a reported home language in multilingual-household or international-adoption contexts documented by NCES.
- The ten rows do not sum to the national total because less common languages and records without a listed language are not shown.
What the State Enrollment Data Measures
Count, rate, identification status, and language background answer different data questions.
Count and rate are separate measures
Total EL enrollment reflects school-system scale. The EL rate measures the share of public school enrollment identified as English learners. California led in count, while Texas led in rate.
Current identification is not lifetime status
The dataset includes students currently identified as English learners. Students who previously exited EL status are not included, even when another language remains part of the household.
English learner is not an immigration measure
An English learner may be U.S.-born or foreign-born. The classification reflects language proficiency and state identification procedures, not citizenship or place of birth.
Enrollment does not measure outcomes
A state EL rate does not measure English proficiency growth, program quality, test performance, graduation, or reclassification speed. EDFacts FS137 and FS139 report assessment participation and proficiency outcomes, not the October enrollment population reported in FS141.
Data Sources and Measurement
NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 204.20: English learners enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools, fall 2011 through fall 2021. This table supplies the 51-jurisdiction counts and percentages displayed here.
NCES Condition of Education, English Learners in Public Schools, last updated May 2024.
NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 204.27, using EDFacts File 141, Data Group 678.
EDFacts centralizes state education agency submissions used across U.S. Department of Education data products.
EDFacts FS141, Data Group 678, records English learners enrolled by state education agency. The federal 2024–25 specification continues this collection; the 2022–23 records are available in Ed Data Express.
Reporting basis: Fall counts include all students identified as English learners at the beginning of the school year, regardless of program participation. Prekindergarten English learners are excluded. The U.S. total covers the 50 states and the District of Columbia. State percentages are published to one decimal place. Equal published rates are ordered by EL count for display. Regional totals and national-share calculations use published state counts. Rate-change values subtract rounded state percentages and can differ slightly from calculations using unrounded source values. Census regions follow standard state groupings. Totals and percentages may not sum exactly because of rounding. All state shares, rank positions, home-language distributions, and national trend values on this page refer to the stated 2011–2021 source periods; later individual EDFacts releases have not been inserted into that historical series.
State identification, assessment, exit, and reporting practices can affect the number of students classified as English learners. The ranking describes the published fall 2021 enrollment measure only. English language proficiency test participation (FS137), assessment outcomes (FS139), and Title III-served student counts (FS116) do not replace English learner enrollment headcounts (FS141). NCES also advises caution around 2020 and 2021 comparisons because pandemic conditions affected Title III reporting.