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English Learner (EL) Students Who Are Black

This fact sheet uses data from the 2013 American Community Survey (ACS), and applies the following definitions: 

• An “English learner” student:

o is ages 5 to 18,

o attends school,

o lives in a home where English is not the primary language spoken, and

o reports speaking English “well,” “not very well,” or “not at all.”

• An “English proficient” student:

o is ages 5 to 18,

o attends school,

o lives in a home where English is spoken, or

o reports speaking English “very well.”

• The 2013 ACS defines individuals who are Black as those whose racial self-identification included “black, African-American, negro, or mulatto,

regardless of what additional race(s) the person reported, if any.” These individuals can be “Black alone or in combination” with other races,

regardless of Hispanic origin.

These definitions represent the respondent’s perceptions of his or her own English-speaking ability (Gambino, et al., 2014). The definitions may not 

correspond with those used by State Education Agencies and Local Education Agencies for reporting purposes. 

Black Students Eligible for Free Or Reduced-Price Lunch (FRPL): 2013

62.2%

58.5%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Percentage of Students Eligible for FRPL

Black EL Students Black English Proficient Students

Note: The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL) under the National School Lunch Program provides a proxy measure for the 

concentration of low-income students within a school. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free 

meals. Those from families with incomes that are between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals.

(http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/NSLPFactSheet.pdf) 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2013. Estimates generated by NCELA using Census DataFerrett. 

Fact

Sixty-two percent of EL students who are Black are eligible for FRPL, compared with

59 percent of English proficient students who are Black.

References cited: Gambino, Christine P., Yesenia D. Acosta, and Elizabeth M. Grieco. English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born Population in the 

United States: 2012. American Community Survey Reports, ACS-26. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC. 2014.

OCTOBER 2015
Fact 

Thirty-one

percent of EL 

students who 

are Black are 

first-generation 

immigrants. 

Immigration Status of Black Students: 2013

31.3%

1.9%

32.0%

10.0%

23.3%

73.2%

13.3% 14.9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Black EL Students Black English Proficient Students

Not elsewhere classified

Third generation or higher

(U.S. born living with at least one U.S.

born parent)

Second generation

(U.S. born living with at least one

foreign-born parent)

First generation

(Foreign born)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2013. Estimates generated by NCELA using Census DataFerrett.

Educational Attainment of Mothers of Black Students: 2013

7.5%

13.3%

11.7%

56.5%

9.2%

1.1%

.6%

5.5%

15.7%

8.1%

39.4%

11.5%

14.2%

5.6%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0%

Graduate Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Associate Degree

High School Graduate

Some High School but No Diploma

Nursery School Through Grade 8

No Schooling Completed

Mothers of Black EL Students Mothers of Black English Proficient Students

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2013. 

Fact 

Approximately 20 

percent more 

mothers of English 

proficient 

students who are 

Black have a high 

school degree or 

higher than 

mothers of EL 

students who are 

Black. 

OCTOBER 2015