Languages and your family in New York: Spanish, dual-language classes and keeping English strong

New York runs on English, but listen on the 6 train or in a Washington Heights bodega and it's obvious that the city's second language is Spanish. For British children, that's an opportunity hiding in plain sight.

The short version

• Spanish is by far the biggest home language among English learners in NYC public schools: 117,321 of 174,014 in 2023–24, about two-thirds [1].
• NYC Public Schools ran 566 bilingual education programmes in 2024–25, split between dual-language and transitional bilingual classes [1].
• Two-way dual-language classes mix native English speakers with children learning English, and teach in both languages with the aim of bilingualism and biliteracy [2].
• Every new pupil's family fills in a Home Language Questionnaire. Children who use another language at home take the NYSITELL test within ten days of enrolment [2].
• High school students who are strong in English and another language can earn the New York State Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma [3].

Spanish: the second language in daily life

You won't need Spanish to rent a flat, open a bank account or see a doctor in New York. But you'll hear it everywhere: on buses, in the playground, at the deli, on public notices, and from your kids' classmates. The city's own figures on English learners give a sense of scale. In the 2023–24 school year, 174,014 NYC public school pupils were English language learners, and Spanish was the home language of 117,321 of them, about 67% [1]. Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Bengali followed a long way behind [1].

For a British family, that means two things. First, Spanish is the obvious "second language" to pick up, and children who start young will have plenty of chances to use it. Second, the school system is set up for children who speak more than one language, which helps if your own family is bilingual.

Dual-language and bilingual programmes in NYC schools

New York State recognises three ways of teaching children who are learning English, and NYC Public Schools runs all of them [2]:

Numbers have been growing. Enrolment in dual-language bilingual classes rose from 11,369 in 2021–22 to 15,303 in 2023–24, and the city had 566 bilingual programmes in 2024–25, up from 557 two years earlier [1]. Most English learners (137,455 in 2023–24) are in ENL rather than bilingual classes [1].

Can a British child join?

Yes, and this is the interesting bit. A two-way dual-language class needs native English speakers as well as English learners, so English-speaking children are part of the design [2]. Your child spends part of the day learning in English and part in, say, Spanish, alongside classmates who are learning English in the other direction.

Dual-language programmes are offered at individual schools, so the language and the starting grade depend on the school. Ask schools directly when you're choosing, and check the schools.nyc.gov bilingual education pages (which didn't load for us when we checked).

What it means by age of arrival

• Pre-K to Grade 2: the best time to join a dual-language class. Young children pick up the second language quickly and there's no catching up on reading in two languages.
• Grades 3 to 5: possible, but your child will be behind classmates who started in kindergarten. Ask how the school supports late joiners; a tutor for an hour or two a week can close the gap.
• Middle and high school: most British children will take Spanish (or another language) as a subject instead. That's a perfectly good route to the Seal of Biliteracy if they stick with it.

English learner testing: what happens at enrolment

Every newly enrolled pupil's family completes a Home Language Questionnaire, and a member of staff holds a short interview about the languages used at home [2]. If any language other than English is used, the child takes the NYSITELL within the first ten days of enrolment [2]. A "Commanding" result means the child isn't classed as an English learner [2].

If your family speaks only English at home, this won't apply. If your children are bilingual, say with a Spanish-speaking or French-speaking parent, answer the questionnaire honestly. Children who are already fluent in English will simply score out of English learner status, and parents have a say in which programme suits their child if they don't [2].

The Seal of Biliteracy

New York State's Seal of Biliteracy is a seal on the high school diploma and a note on the transcript showing that a student is biliterate in English and at least one other language [3]. Students need to show Intermediate High proficiency in English and the required level in the other language [3]. Points can come from an 85% or higher average in English or language coursework, approved assessment scores, coursework completed outside the US, or a culminating project [3].

For a child who's done a dual-language programme, or who speaks a family language at home, it's a nice extra on a US college application, and a handy talking point on a UCAS personal statement too.

Keeping English strong at home

Partners whose first language isn't English

If your partner's first language isn't English, New York is a forgiving place: you'll find speakers of almost every language, and plenty of free English classes through libraries and community organisations. Anyone heading for US citizenship needs English in the end. The naturalisation test includes speaking, assessed at the interview, plus reading and writing one sentence correctly out of three [4]. There's also a civics test of up to ten questions from a pool of 100, with six correct answers needed to pass [4]. Some older, long-term residents can take the civics test in their own language [4].

English exams worth knowing

• IELTS is the test most British families know. Universities in the UK, the US and elsewhere accept it for students whose first language isn't English, and it's widely used for visas, though US universities often ask for TOEFL instead, so check each one.
• Cambridge English Qualifications, such as A2 Key for Schools, B1 Preliminary for Schools and B2 First for Schools, give children in bilingual families a certificate of their English that's recognised around the world.
• Professional English for interviews, presentations and emails matters a lot in New York's work culture, where people sell themselves more loudly than back home in Blighty.

Bilingual families

If one parent speaks Spanish, Italian, Mandarin or anything else, keep speaking it at home. English will win in the playground and at school anyway. A dual-language class can take some of the strain off the home language, and the Seal of Biliteracy gives teenagers a reason to keep going.

Your first steps

1. Ask each school you visit whether it offers a dual-language programme and in which language.
2. Fill in the Home Language Questionnaire carefully at enrolment [2].
3. Pick up some Spanish yourself: the kids will be ahead of you before long.
4. Swap tips with other parents in our community group for Brits in the US.

If you'd rather learn with a live teacher online, our language partner is below.

Sources

1. New York City Comptroller: Audit report on the Department of Education's compliance with regulations regarding English language learners (SR23-057A, 8 September 2025)
2. New York State Education Department: Guide for parents of English language learners in New York State
3. New York State Education Department: Criteria to earn the New York State Seal of Biliteracy
4. USCIS: Study for the US citizenship (naturalisation) test
5. NYC Public Schools: Bilingual education (official page didn't load in full when we checked)

Keep reading

• Schools in New York: British and international schools
• US universities vs going home: UCAS, the SAT and home fees
• Green cards and US citizenship for Brits
• Registering a child born abroad and British citizenship by descent