Twenty-five years ago, the State limited bilingual education through a divisive initiative. At the time, California did not welcome its non-English speaking residents.

Today, the state promotes bilingual proficiency and even passed an initiative in 2016 that led to immediate growth in the number of bilingual programs. Meanwhile, parents are increasingly seeking opportunities for their children to communicate in multiple languages, an advantage in the global economy. According to the most recent data from 2018, the state had 747 dual-language immersion programs, according to the California Department of Education. That's an increase of 407 from the previous year. The current number of programs is probably more than 800, given the department's projections.

Sacramento County has 15 language immersion programs, and one more will open in Natomas next school year. The county has added six programs in the last five years, according to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Elk Grove, the county's largest school district, will conduct a feasibility study to potentially start its first program this year.

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