Patch – Sharon Huang
Despite this, according to a 2017 study “The State of Languages in the U.S.: A Statistical Portrait” only 20% of public K-12 students study a foreign language, and that level is declining. Among elementary schools, the percentage teaching language fell from 31 percent in 1997 to 25 percent in 2008, despite evidence that an early start provides an edge in acquiring language proficiency. Among middle schools, the percentage dropped from 75 to 58 percent. The statistics in New York and New Jersey are better than the national average at 27% and 51% of students studying a foreign language, respectively, however these school districts have also seen declining enrollment in language classes.
Read More: https://patch.com/new-york/midtown-nyc/u-s-competitiveness-begins-k-12-language-learning