English Learner Population by Local Educational Agency - English Learners as a Percentage of Total Student Enrollment - School Year 2018-19

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Angel

Fact sheet analyzing how English learners (ELs) are distributed across local educational agencies (LEAs) using the U.S. Department of Education’s NCES Common Core of Data. For school year 2018–19, 13,711 LEAs reported EL enrollment, and ELs accounted for 10% of total U.S. K–12 enrollment. State shares range from 0.8% in West Virginia to 19.4% in California, with nine states above the national average.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

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English Learner Population by Local Educational Agency

National and state-level EL percentages in 2018–19

States with the highest EL enrollment shares

Data source and notes

Office of English Language Acquisition English Learner Population by Local Educational Agency Through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data (CCD), the U.S. Department of Education disseminates data on local educational agencies (LEAs), commonly known as school districts. During the school year (SY) 2018–19, the CCD recorded 13,711 LEAs with English learners (ELs) enrolled. This fact sheet looks more closely at how ELs represent a percentage of total student enrollment. English Learners as a Percentage of Total Student Enrollment by Local Educational Agency: School Year 2018–191 During SY 2018–19, ELs represented 10% of total student enrollment in U. S. K–12 schools.2 Among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., ELs as a percentage of a state’s student enrollment ranged from 0.8% in West Virginia to 19.4% in California. In nine states (California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Illinois, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, and Massachusetts), EL enrollment exceeded the national average. Source: Source for document: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD),“Local Education Agency (School District) Universe Survey”, 2018–19 v.1a. Data were accessed on Sept. 15, 2020, at [https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pubagency.asp](https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pubagency.asp) 1 Vermont did not report data on ELs. 2 Author calculations: Percentage of ELs is equal to total number ofELs divided by total number of students in the US. Five States With the Highest Percentage of English Learners as a Percentage of Total Enrollment: School Year 2018–19 California LEAs with the percentage of EL enrollment above the state average LEAs with the percentage of EL enrollment at or below the state average During SY 2018–19, ELs represented 19.4% of total student enrollment in California, the greatest percentage in the nation. That year, 713 LEAs in California reported a higher percentage ofELs than the state average, ranging up to 85.4% . During SY 2018–19, ELs represented 17.8% of total student enrollment in Texas. That year, 204 LEAs in Texas reported a higher percentage ofELs than the state average, ranging up to 74.5% . Texas ELs represented 15.3% During SY 2018–19, of total student enrollment in New Mexico. That year, 41 LEAs in New Mexico reported a higher percentage ofELs than the state average, ranging up to 76.7% . During SY 2018–19, ELs represented 14.8% of total student enrollment in Nevada. That year, three LEAs in Nevada reported a higher percentage ofELs than the state average, ranging up to 17.4% . During SY 2018–19, ELs represented 11.6% of total student enrollment in Illinois. That year, 153 LEAs in Illinois reported a higher percentage of ELs than the state average, ranging up to 60. 1% . Illinois Office of English Language Acquisition [OELA.ed.gov](OELA.ed.gov) • [NCELA.ed.gov](NCELA.ed.gov) 400 Maryland Ave., SW • Washington, DC 20202 • [www.ED.gov](www.ED.gov)

FAQs

How many local educational agencies reported English learner enrollment in 2018–19?

The NCES CCD recorded 13,711 LEAs with English learners enrolled during school year 2018–19.

What share of total U.S. K–12 enrollment did English learners represent in 2018–19?

English learners represented 10% of total student enrollment in U.S. K–12 schools in 2018–19.

Which state had the highest percentage of English learners in 2018–19, and what was that percentage?

California had the greatest share, with English learners representing 19.4% of total student enrollment in 2018–19.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Angel