English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners
Multilingual learners make up a growing and increasingly diverse share of New York’s student population—12% statewide in 2025—including many newcomer and migrant students with unique needs and interrupted schooling, as well as students in rural and suburban communities that have not historically served them.
Yet these students continue to face significant barriers to accessing high-quality instruction and supports: too many are steered away from high school into GED or adult English as a New Language (ENL) programs, and there are not enough bilingual, ENL, or summer learning opportunities to meet demand. Long-standing inequities and structural factors — worsened by the pandemic — including under-resourced schools, limited access to certified teachers, and segregation, continue to shape their educational experiences and outcomes.
Our Equity-Centered Approach
We work to strengthen advocacy efforts that expand educational opportunities for ELLs/MLLs across New York State, especially at a time of increasing need. As more migrant and newcomer students arrive, shifting federal policies — including threats to immigration status and cuts to instructional supports — are compounding long-standing challenges for students and schools. These challenges underscore the urgent need for policies and supports that ensure all students can safely access and fully participate in their education and receive the supports they need to succeed.
Latest Resource
Out of Reach: The State of Multilingual Learner Literacy in New York
Featured Reports and Resources Over the Years
Statement: EdTrust-New York Backs Gov. Hochul’s Efforts to Defend Education Access for All
Statement: EdTrust-New York Criticizes State Budget’s Foundation Aid Changes
Blog: Reflections from the Leading Literacy Summit
Statement: Proposed ELL Funding Changes Would Deepen Inequity
Data Snapshot
Only
%
of ELLs/MLLs in grades 3-8 scored proficient on the 2024-25 English Language Arts assessment, compared to 58% of their monolingual English-speaking peers.
*New York State Assessment Results, 2024-25
Only
%
of ELLs/MLLs graduated on time in 2025, as opposed to 88% of non-ELLs.
*New York State Graduation Rates, 2024-25
More Resources
EdTrust-New York Welcomes Key Education Investments in Final Budget, Calls for Further Action on Equity Gaps
EdTrust-New York welcomes the final state budget’s support for several of our educational equity priorities. The budget commits $4.5 billion to universal child care and pre-K, allocates $30 million for K-12 priorities, including math and literacy instruction, high-impact tutoring, and College in High School programming, and provides $1 million for Emergency Aid at SUNY and CUNY. We also appreciate the new safeguards included in the budget to protect immigrant students’ access to education at a time when students and families need additional support and clear reminders that all children belong in school. Finally, we support the changes to the Foundation Aid formula, which direct more funding to students who face the greatest barriers to opportunity, including those experiencing homelessness, those in foster care, and English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners
New Report Shows New York’s Literacy Reforms Leave Multilingual Learners Behind
EdTrust-New York released a new report, Out of Reach: The State of Multilingual Learner Literacy in New York, which finds that the state’s recent literacy reforms fail to meaningfully include multilingual learners, despite their share of the student population and persistently low literacy outcomes.
EdTrust-New York Backs Gov. Hochul’s Efforts to Defend Education Access for All Students, Regardless of Immigration Status
EdTrust-New York applauds Gov. Hochul’s leadership in advancing protections for undocumented students and defends every child’s right to a public education across New York State.
Testimony for New York City Council Committee on Education Fiscal Year 27 Preliminary Budget – Education
As the largest district in the state and nation, serving nearly 1 million students, New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) is a key focus of EdTrust-New York’s commitment to advancing equity-focused educational efforts across the state. Such investments are even more critical this year due to federal funding cuts and attacks on critical educational equity programs. The following are our top priorities for the FY27 budget.
EdTrust-New York Finds Progress in NY Literacy Curriculum Alignment, but Warns Disproven Practices Still Persist
EdTrust-New York released a new analysis today showing that New York State has made progress in shifting toward evidence-based literacy instruction under the 2024 Back to Basics law but significant gaps remain, leaving hundreds of thousands of students without full access to instruction aligned with the science of reading. The New York Campaign for Early Literacy (NYCEL) is featuring this analysis as part of its Visions and Voices Literacy Advocacy Day to highlight the urgent need for stronger state action to improve reading outcomes for all students.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Reader: Reflections from the Leading Literacy Summit
New York has taken important steps to advance evidence-based literacy instruction, but lasting impact depends on how well educators are supported in implementation. This blog explores key takeaways from the inaugural Leading Literacy Summit, highlighting the role of collaboration, educator training, and community engagement in building a statewide literacy ecosystem grounded in the science of reading.