More accurate definition behind decrease in English learners | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is David Beasley.

    The number of North Carolina public schools in need of helping learning English has dropped, but education officials say they don't believe the lower numbers were caused by the federal crackdown on immigration in 2025.

    As of Nov. 1, there were 163,175 North Carolina students identified as "English learners," according to the state's Department of Public Instruction. This was a decline of 15,513 from the same date in 2024.

    Officials believe the decline was not a result of stricter immigration enforcement actions by the federal government, but by a change in the criteria for defining English learners adopted a year ago, Kristi Day, director of the state's Office of Teaching and Learning told The Center Square in a statement.

    The new criteria "ensure a more accurate identification of students who require English Language Development services," Day said.

    Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools had the most English learners in the state public schools as of Nov. 1, with 8,274, according to the state.

    Guilford County Schools were second with 8,236. Those were followed by Durham at 6,173 and Johnson County at 4,457.


    At a meeting of the state school board last week, Chairman Eric Davis cited proposals to cut or consolidate federal programs for public schools including funds to help English learners.

    "For North Carolina, where every dollar is already stretched thin, these shifts have immediate operational and instructional consequences," Davis told the board.

    He said recent federal immigration actions in North Carolina "disrupts what the law requires - that we educate every student."