Thousands of Fresno Unified students are lingering in English learner programs longer than research indicates they should, raising questions about how well the district is preparing these students for academic success in middle and high school and beyond.
Studies show that it should take students who speak another language at home approximately five to seven years on average to become proficient in English. Yet during the 2022-23 school year, about 40% of English-learning students in the district — or 5,421 of 13,527 students — were considered long-term English learners by the state.
