Plunge in English language learners foreshadows Connecticut school enrollment crisis
- Guy
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
For more than a decade, Connecticut’s English Language Learner (ELL) student population has acted as a critical buffer, masking a broader, underlying decline in overall public school enrollment. That period has officially ended, delivering a fiscal one-two punch that towns across the state have been dreading.
For the first time in over a decade, the number of ELL students statewide has dropped significantly, declining by over 2,000 students from 57,055 to 54,915 this year.
Many are attributing this decline to families' fears of immigration enforcement. Others say it is due to a shortage of housing, school choice and repeal of the religious immunization exception.
Overall public school enrollment in Connecticut is falling and the recent decline in English language learners will only accelerate this trend. In 2023-24, Connecticut had 512,615 public school students. In 2024-25, the numbers were 508,402.
At roughly 11% of the state's public school students, the ELL category represents a significant, and expensive, responsibility for taxpayers, requiring specialized staff and resources.
With local school spending outpacing inflation, this demographic shift is the one-two punch that towns across the state have been dreading. In Greenwich, the English language learner population dropped from 456 in 2024 to 397 this year. In August 2025, contrary to original forecasts, Greenwich Public Schools announced a surprising decline in enrollments dropping from 8,513 in 2024 to 8,391. The drop in English language learners may be an important contributing factor in the overall enrollment decline.
Connecticut towns seeing dramatic declines in English language learner enrollment include Hartford, Danbury, New Haven, Bridgeport and Stamford. Without the English language learner growth, the number of students enrolled across the state would decline. That means closing classrooms to adjust for the decline in numbers. Or it could mean closing and consolidating schools that are underutilized.
Between the Lines: In Greenwich where school spending is already the highest in the State and continues to rise faster than inflation, these enrollment declines will mean difficult budget cuts must happen - something the government is not good at.