Title III English Learner Student Demographics

The California Department of Education conducts an annual data collection of EL students enrolled in California's public and private schools. The data collection is conducted as part of the requirements of Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act. Title VIII, Part A, Section 8101 (20) defines an EL as an individual who:

• is aged 3 through 21,
• is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary school,
• was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than English,
• who is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the outlying areas; and who comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the individual’s level of English language proficiency; or who is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant, and
• whose difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual the ability to meet the challenging State academic standards; the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English; or the opportunity to participate fully in society.

LEAs report the number of EL students enrolled in public schools on Census Day via the annual Fall 1 California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) submission. Census Day enrollment is the count of students enrolled in each LEA on the first Wednesday in October. LEAs report the number of private school EL students they serve via the Consolidated Application and Reporting System. The reported number of students enrolled in public schools and the reported number of students enrolled in private schools are combined to determine the number of EL students that are eligible for Title III EL Program funding. It is important to note that the number of public school EL students reported on Census Day is utilized to determine Title III English Learner Program funding for the following year, not the current year for which the data was collected.

Table I: EL Student Enrollment in California, 2018–19 to 2025–26

Table II: EL Student Enrollment by Languages Spoken, 2025–26

Subtotal: 896,111 (96.78%)
All other languages: 29,796 (3.22%)
Grand total: 925,907 (100.00%)

Table III: EL Student Enrollment by LEA, 2025–26

*The number of EL students enrolled is based on certified Census Day data as part of the CALPADS Fall 1 submission. Prior to 2020–21, the Census Day enrollment only included primary enrollments and did not include short-term enrollments. Beginning in 2020–21, the Census Day enrollment includes short-term enrollments.

Student subtotal: 326,402 (35.25%)
All other LEAs: 599,505 (64.75%)
Grand total: 925,907 (100.00%)

Table IV: Title III Funding for EL Students in California, 2018–19 to 2025–26

*The number of eligible EL in LEAs that received Title III EL Program Funding is based on the EL student Census Day enrollment from the CALPADS Fall 1 submission and the number of private school students served by LEAs that are reported in the Consolidated Application and Reporting System.