Students who speak a language other than English and who are not yet English proficient, as a percentage of all students.
The proportion of English language learners in a school district can reflect the number of non-English speaking homes and backgrounds in the community. These students often require specialized or modified instruction and programmatic supports in school in order to access the educational opportunities available to other students.
In 2019, 9% of students in Berks County were English language learners, up from 6% in 2008. The number of English language learners increased 54% to 5,900 in 2019. Pennsylvania overall had English language learners make up 4% of its students in 2019. That reflects a 48% increase in the number since 2008.
Among local school districts, Reading had by far the highest proportion of English language learners at 27%, followed by Muhlenberg which had only 6%. Less than 1% of students were English language learners in six districts: Boyertown, Brandywine Heights Area, Conrad Weiser Area, Daniel Boone Area, Oley Valley and Schuylkill Valley. Berks' rate was higher than surrounding counties, which ranged from 1% to 8%.
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| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.2% | 3.8% | 4.2% |
| Berks County | 5.5% | 6.2% | 6.0% | 5.8% | 5.8% | 5.9% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 6.1% | 6.8% | 7.8% | 8.7% |
| Berks County Regions | ||||||||||||
| Central | ||||||||||||
| Northeast | ||||||||||||
| South | ||||||||||||
| Southeast | ||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||
| Reading city | ||||||||||||
| Berks County Peers | ||||||||||||
| Chester County | 3.2% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 3.2% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 4.1% | 4.2% |
| Lancaster County | 5.0% | 5.2% | 4.8% | 4.9% | 4.8% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.6% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Lebanon County | 4.4% | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.2% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 4.2% | 4.4% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.8% | 6.7% |
| Lehigh County | 5.9% | 6.0% | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.4% | 5.0% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 5.4% | 6.1% | 6.7% | 7.7% |
| Montgomery County | 2.4% | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 3.5% |
| Schuylkill County | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.4% |
| School Districts | ||||||||||||
| Fleetwood Area School District | 2.4% | 2.0% | 1.7% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 1.7% |
| Schuylkill Valley School District | 1.2% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Kutztown Area School District | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.4% |
| Brandywine Heights Area School District | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Muhlenberg School District | 4.6% | 5.3% | 4.7% | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 4.3% | 4.6% | 6.0% | 6.5% |
| Conrad Weiser Area School District | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.9% |
| Antietam School District | 2.5% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 3.2% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.0% |
| Tulpehocken Area School District | 3.4% | 3.9% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 3.7% | 4.0% | 3.2% | 2.8% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 2.2% |
| Oley Valley School District | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Governor Mifflin School District | 1.4% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 2.5% |
| Twin Valley School District | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1.0% |
| Exeter Township School District | 0.8% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| Reading School District | 17.5% | 20.3% | 19.7% | 18.7% | 18.7% | 18.9% | 18.0% | 17.8% | 19.3% | 21.5% | 24.0% | 26.8% |
| Daniel Boone Area School District | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Hamburg Area School District | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| Boyertown Area School District | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Wilson School District | 2.5% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| Wyomissing Area School District | 3.0% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 2.5% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 2.4% |
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 45,978 | 48,052 | 46,254 | 45,924 | 47,259 | 47,418 | 48,439 | 51,329 | 52,296 | 55,863 | 61,835 | 68,169 |
| Berks County | 3,840 | 4,354 | 4,196 | 4,067 | 4,071 | 4,065 | 3,905 | 3,898 | 4,152 | 4,602 | 5,267 | 5,908 |
| Berks County Regions | ||||||||||||
| Central | ||||||||||||
| Northeast | ||||||||||||
| South | ||||||||||||
| Southeast | ||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||
| Reading city | ||||||||||||
| Berks County Peers | ||||||||||||
| Chester County | 2,458 | 3,119 | 2,604 | 2,491 | 2,519 | 2,547 | 2,659 | 2,861 | 2,912 | 3,112 | 3,304 | 3,390 |
| Lancaster County | 3,468 | 3,581 | 3,293 | 3,320 | 3,282 | 3,129 | 3,025 | 2,998 | 2,979 | 3,096 | 3,233 | 3,611 |
| Lebanon County | 829 | 851 | 830 | 799 | 807 | 835 | 805 | 831 | 826 | 840 | 947 | 1,333 |
| Lehigh County | 3,180 | 3,200 | 2,892 | 2,730 | 2,717 | 2,541 | 2,466 | 2,698 | 2,791 | 3,167 | 3,485 | 4,111 |
| Montgomery County | 2,656 | 2,733 | 2,654 | 2,557 | 2,710 | 2,736 | 2,889 | 3,068 | 3,224 | 3,350 | 3,864 | 4,035 |
| Schuylkill County | 130 | 134 | 116 | 139 | 170 | 159 | 164 | 158 | 165 | 203 | 222 | 255 |
| School Districts | ||||||||||||
| Fleetwood Area School District | 66 | 55 | 45 | 35 | 37 | 41 | 43 | 50 | 31 | 24 | 38 | 42 |
| Schuylkill Valley School District | 25 | 25 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 |
| Kutztown Area School District | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 19 |
| Brandywine Heights Area School District | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Muhlenberg School District | 158 | 185 | 165 | 160 | 158 | 150 | 144 | 169 | 159 | 170 | 225 | 257 |
| Conrad Weiser Area School District | 48 | 47 | 36 | 24 | 37 | 24 | 35 | 38 | 20 | 19 | 23 | 23 |
| Antietam School District | 27 | 34 | 33 | 37 | 23 | 24 | 33 | 31 | 25 | 44 | 42 | 46 |
| Tulpehocken Area School District | 55 | 62 | 58 | 60 | 56 | 59 | 47 | 39 | 41 | 35 | 36 | 31 |
| Oley Valley School District | 9 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 12 |
| Governor Mifflin School District | 58 | 17 | 51 | 57 | 67 | 66 | 50 | 50 | 54 | 66 | 96 | 107 |
| Twin Valley School District | 16 | 13 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 19 | 16 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 18 | 32 |
| Exeter Township School District | 35 | 42 | 44 | 38 | 29 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 35 | 40 | 53 | 59 |
| Reading School District | 3,062 | 3,622 | 3,521 | 3,400 | 3,372 | 3,344 | 3,153 | 3,075 | 3,360 | 3,764 | 4,256 | 4,799 |
| Daniel Boone Area School District | 19 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 18 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Hamburg Area School District | 10 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 19 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 19 | 25 |
| Boyertown Area School District | 15 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 20 |
| Wilson School District | 57 | 70 | 57 | 36 | 31 | 36 | 30 | 36 | 43 | 49 | 61 | 61 |
| Wyomissing Area School District | 56 | 45 | 32 | 46 | 38 | 50 | 53 | 42 | 38 | 38 | 50 | 46 |
| INDICATORS | TREND | BERKS COUNTY |
|---|---|
| Quality Early Childhood Centers | Not Applicable |
| Prekindergarten Participation |  Increasing |
| Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch | Increasing |
| English Language Learners | Increasing |
| Students Receiving Special Education Services | Increasing |
| Per Student Spending |  Maintaining |
| Historically Underperforming Student Performance on Grade 3 English |  Decreasing |
| Historically Underperforming Student Performance on Grade 3 Math | Increasing |
| Historically Underperforming Student Performance on Grade 8 English | Decreasing |
| Historically Underperforming Student Performance on Grade 8 Math | Decreasing |
| Student Performance on High School English | Decreasing |
| Student Performance on High School Math | Maintaining |
| High School Cohort Graduation Rate | Increasing |
| Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity | Maintaining |
| Brain Drain/Gain | Increasing |
| Plans of High School Graduates | Decreasing |
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