The number of ELs in the U.S. grew 28.1% between the 2000–01 school year and the 2016–17 school year.

During the 2000–01 school year (SY), a total of 3,793,764 English learners (ELs) were enrolled in public schools in kindergarten through grade 12 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, representing 8.1% of total student enrollment. By the SY 2016–17, the EL population had grown by more than one million students to a total of 4,858,377 ELs, representing 9.6% of total student enrollment. 

SY 2000–01 ELs Non-ELs 8.1% of total enrollment 3,793,764 ELs English Learners as a Percentage of Total Enrollment, Top 10 States: SY 2000–01 24.5% 21.4% 15.0% 14.5% 14.1% 12.5% 11.2% 8.4% 8.2% 8.0% California New Mexico Arizona Alaska Texas D.C. Nevada Colorado Utah New York SY 2016–17 ELs Non-ELs 9.6% of total enrollment 4,858,377 ELs English Learners as a Percentage of Total Enrollment, Top 10* States: SY 2016–17 *The chart below includes 11 states because Illinois and Oregon tied for 10th place. 20.2% 17.2% 15.9% 13.4% 11.7% 11.1% 11.1% 11.0% 10.3% 9.8% 9.8% California Texas Nevada New Mexico Colorado Washington Kansas Alaska Florida Oregon Illinois 

Forty-three states saw increases in their EL populations as a percentage of total student enrollment between SY 2000–01 and SY 2016–17, ranging from just a 0.1 percentage point increase in Hawaii and South Dakota to a 7.9 percentage point increase in Kansas. Seven states and the District of Columbia saw declines in their EL populations as a percentage of total student enrollment, ranging from a decrease of 8.8 percentage points in Arizona to a decrease of 1.9 percentage points in Utah. 

The number of ELs in the U.S. grew 28.1% between the 2000–01 school year and the 2016–17 school year. Forty-three states saw the number of ELs increase, ranging from 315 ELs in Wyoming to 351,559 ELs in Texas. Of these 43 states, the increases of ELs as a percentage of the total EL student population ranged from a 2.7% increase in New York to a 765.1% increase in South Carolina. 

 SOURCE FOR DOCUMENT: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Local Education Agency Universe Survey," 2000–01 through 2016–17. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d18/tables/dt18_204.20.asp?current=yes