About English Learners in Fairfield

Background and Growth of EL Program

Fairfield City School District has a long history of providing English Learner (EL), previously referred to as English as a Second Language (ESL), services to multi-lingual students. Our program began in the 1980's when General Electric (GE) transferred several families from France to the GE plant in Cincinnati. Students attended Central Elementary School, and under the leadership of Dr. Gayle Niehaus, our program began.

Today, we have over 1650 identified EL students across all of our buildings. Our multilingual population includes over 45 languages and dialects and our students come from over 65 countries.

The top three non-English languages in Fairfield are Spanish, Nepali, and French, respectively. The top three non-U.S. countries of birth are Nepal, Guatemala, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, respectively.

You can view the EL Program presentation to the Board of Education on April 11, 2024 here. This presentation provided the Board and community with an update on the program and it's needs. You can also watch the recording on TVFairfield. 

EL is a multi-faceted program offering English language classes and content-area assistance to EL students. The goal of the program is for students to acquire a level of English language proficiency that allows them to meet grade level promotion requirements, state-mandated graduation requirements, and ultimately compete successfully in mainstream society. To achieve these goals, we have at least one teacher in each building who is TESOL endorsed (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) and at least one full time tutor. These teachers and tutors are assisted by the district's Instructional Specialist of EL Services.

According to the 2023-2024 Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Fall Enrollment Headcount, Fairfield was ranked #10 for the number of EL students in our district and #10 for the percentage of our population who were identified as an EL.

Goal of EL Program

Our goal is to ensure that every student, regardless of their language background, receives the support they need for academic success and personal development.