Language Proficiency and Home Languages of Students in New York City Elementary and Middle Schools

Abstract

In New York City, elementary and middle school students speak a wide variety of languages in their homes (167) and come from a vast number of countries (192). Over 1 in 10 children are limited English proficient (LEP) and another 3 in 10 are English proficient and from homes where languages other than English are spoken. Given the challenges to educating students with varying language needs, it is important to gain an understanding of the differences and similarities between students who are not yet proficient in English and those who are proficient, and to further distinguish among the English proficient students who are and are not exposed to English at home. What are the differences in the characteristics and school performance of LEP and English proficient students? Do English proficient students exposed to English at home differ from those exposed to other languages?This report, a companion to our report on immigrant students, answers these and other questions through a statistical portrait of the demographic characteristics and academic performance of New York City's elementary and middle school students by English language proficiency and home language groups.