English Language Learner

Demographics of the ELL Population in SPPS

Since 1990, the ELL population in Saint Paul Public Schools has increased by more than 270%, from 4,633 (1990-91) to 17,170 (2005-06), while overall student enrollment has increased by just 17.3%. ELL students represent 40% of the 2005-06 SPPS student population. In Minnesota, Saint Paul’s ELL population makes up 27% of the state ELL population.



Students in Saint Paul Public Schools speak 113 languages and dialects. The top eight are:
  1. English - 23,860          
  2. Hmong - 10,644
  3. Spanish - 4,156
  4. Somali – 863
  5. Vietnamese - 317    
  6. Oromo - 255
  7. Burmese/Karen - 228
  8. Amharic - 158
Test scores for ELL students have steadily increased over the last few years, particularly for students representing the most frequently spoken languages other than English—Hmong, Somali, and Spanish.
According to 2000 Census figures, Minnesota is home to the largest populations of both Somalis and Hmong in the U.S.

Nationwide Trends for English Language Learners
  • English language learners are the most rapidly growing population in U.S. schools. In the ten years from 1993-94 to 2003-04, total K-12 enrollment increased by only about 7%, while ELL enrollment increased by 65%.
  • In 2001, 4.6 million ELL students were enrolled in U.S. public schools—a full 10% of total preK-12 enrollment (cf., SPPS at 39%)
  • Today, about one in five students in public schools lives in a home where English is not the primary language. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2030, students who speak a language other than English at home will constitute 40 percent of the school-age population
  • Fifteen states have reported an increase in ELL students of more than 200 percent over the past three years.
  • More than 460 languages are represented in U.S. classrooms (SPPS has 113 languages).
  • A 2002 study found that Spanish was the native language of more than 75% of ELL students nationwide. Next were Vietnamese (2.4%), Hmong (1.8%), and Korean (1.2%).

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  • About 73 percent of urban school districts have an immediate need for bilingual teachers.
  • The Hispanic 5-to-19-year-old population is projected to grow from 11 million in 2005 to 16 million in 2020. By then Hispanics are projected to be 24% of the 5-to-19-year-old population.
  • Forty-four percent of last year’s refugee arrivals to the U.S. were 18 or younger.
  • Limited English skills are highly correlated with poverty and other measures of hardship.
    According to national statistics, students for whom English is a second language are three times as likely as native English speakers to be low academic achievers. They are also twice as likely to be held back to repeat a grade level.