Nevada's English Language Learner Population: A Review of Enrollment, Outcomes, and Opportunities

Sonya D. Horsford, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Christina Mokhtar, Anneberg Institute for School Reform
Carrie Sampson, Lincy Institute

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to provide the public with an easy‐to‐understand review of the status of education for Nevada’s English Language Learner (ELL) population with a focus on Clark County. Nevada is ranked first in the U.S. for having the highest growth rate of Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals and fifth in the nation for having the largest share of LEP residents, only behind California, Texas, New York, and New Jersey (Migration Policy Institute, 2011). In the case of public education, student enrollment patterns over the last two decades reflect dramatic increases in ELL students in Nevada and especially Clark County.