As-of the 2023-2024 school year, almost 10% of Virginia students were English Language Learners. Despite this being a large portion of our students, EL students still don’t receive the support that they need. In 2022, Virginia ranked 32nd out of 46 states plus DC for average 4th grade reading scores for English learners according to 2022 NAEP data. For other student groups we were close to the national average.

English learners were hit especially hard by pandemic-related learning loss, seeing the largest percentage drop of any student groups in reading, math, and science exams between 2019 and 2021. Graduation rates for EL students are consistently 5-10% lower than non-EL students.

Every student in Virginia should have access to a high-quality public education that gives them everything that they need to thrive, and for that to become a reality we need to increase funding for the staff and programs that support our English Language Learners.

We have made some progress on funding for EL students in recent years, including an additional $70 million for EL students in 2024. However, that progress isn’t enough. We will continue to advocate for all of our students to get the support that they need to be successful.