Wonder

Research Outline

Prepared for David F. | Delivered February 20, 2020

English language learning (ell) market in the u.s.

Goals

To provide an overview of the English Second Language (ESL) K-12/English Language Learning (ELL) market in the United States including such components as: market size by total spend, market size by number of students and broken down into elementary and high school, historical growth rate of the market, projected growth rate of the market trends in funding the market (such as changing sources and levels), market leaders in provision of services and products. This will inform the decision on whether to enter the ESL/ELL market focusing on elementary and pre-elementary students 

Early Findings

English Language Learning (ELL) Market by Numbers According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the number of English language learners (ELLs) was 4.9 million students in 2016, an increase from 3.8 million students in 2000.
This represented 9.6% of the  U.S. public school enrollees in 2016, up from 8.1% in 2000.
California had the highest enrolment of ELLs at 20.2% of the total enrolment in public schools, while West Virginia had the lowest at 0.9%. 
Breakdown by Grade of the ELL Market The percentage of ELLs in public schools, by grade level in 2016 was:
Kindergarten:16.2% 
Grade 1: 16.3% 
Grade 2: 15.9% 
Grade 3: 14.9% 
Grade 4: 11.9% 
Grade 5: 10.2% 
Grade 6: 8.5% 
Grade 7: 7.6% 
Grade 8: 6.9% 
Grade 9: 7.2% 
Grade 10: 6.0% 
Grade 11: 5.0% 
Grade12: 4.1% 
Ungraded: 7.9% 

There was a higher percentage of ELL students  in lower grades than of those in upper grades "driven, in part, by students who are identified as ELLs when they enter elementary school but obtain English language proficiency before reaching upper grades."
Estimate of the U.S. English Language Learning Market by ValueA report by Adroit Research provides the global English Language Learning (ELL) market in  2018 as $33.53 billion. The teens and kids segment make up 15.31% of the market, which is $5.13 billion (15.31%of $33.53 billion). According to the report, the U.S. ELL market share in that year was 21.95%. This means that the U.S. ELL market in 2018 could be estimated at $1. 12billion (21.95% of $5.13 billion). 

Expected Growth of the ELL Market in the U.S. ELL students are the fastest-growing student population group
It is estimated that by 2025, 25% of public school students will be ELL students
Funding Sources for the ELL Market in the U.S.The federal government funds ELL students through grants such as Title III.
Summary of FindingsIn the first hour of research we determined the size of the U.S.  ELL market, by numbers, based on the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which was also broken down by grade. We also found some insights on expected growth and a possible estimate for the market by value.