How Homeless Learn English

English Language Learners account for approximately one in every seven kids enrolled in New York public schools yearly. Homeless students make up a significant proportion of this category, increasing by more than 55% in seven years. By the end of the school year 2023, one in every six English language learners, or 24,000 pupils, was homeless.

While homeless English-learning students face several academic challenges, the facts presented in this short demonstrate that when children learn English early, during their first three years of schooling, they perform on par with or better than their classmates who already know English when they enter school. For primary pupils learning English, becoming fluent in the first few years of school increases their chances of scoring proficient on State ELA or math examinations and lowers their chances of being held back a grade level.

Homeless individuals typically take longer to learn English

As tough as it is for any homeless student to become fluent in English, Spanish speakers have the most significant hurdles. They are the least likely to be newbie ELLs—only 40% of the cohort became proficient in English after three years, compared to 60% of homeless children who speak a different language.

Homeless English-learning students are academically resilient

Homeless kids are more prone than their housed classmates to be chronically absent and change schools mid-year. This increased classroom instability can often lead to homeless adolescents falling behind academically. However, homeless newbie English Learning pupils thrive academically even when habitually absent or switching courses.