Edmonton Public Schools considers ending second-language requirement amid rise in English language learners

Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) is considering scrapping its second language requirements for students in Grades four to nine, citing the high number of English-language learners (ELLs) as influencing the decision.This requirement has been a part of the EPSB curriculum for 20 years, introduced back in 2006, but as Superintendent Ron Thompson said, their demographics have changed."...Given the demographics of our schools and the context of society, our schools are different than they were 20 years ago," stated Thompson at the EPSB board meeting on Tuesday.According to EPSB documents from 2013, which show during the 2007-2008 school year, 7,698 students enrolled in EPSB were ELL..Recorded at the beginning of September 2025, there were 27,791 ELL students enrolled in EPSB, making up 23% of the student population. In an almost 20-year span, EPSB's ELL student population has increased by 261%."It's extremely beneficial that we are providing second language instruction to our students," stated Thompson."But our context has changed — 20 years ago in 2006 we didn't have nearly the number of English as an additional language learners."."When you consider that as a factor when principals are planning for instruction and planning for their school year — we've got students that need to learn English.""They[ELL students] have a second language already, so it becomes really tricky to timetable and to provide the appropriate support for students because we've got a mandatory second language component."The second language requirement had encompassed taking at least one language such as French, Spanish, or others, encouraging students to continue on by their own volition up to Grade 12.Reported by Postmedia, the school division's trustees voted on Tuesday to ask administration to develop a report on what engagement objectives would look like for the language policy. .Thompson had also explained at the meeting that the 20-year-old policy had been introduced when Alberta was considering mandating French language instruction as part of the curriculum for all Alberta students.However, since the mandate was never enforced, EPSB does not have to keep its current second language policy. Thompson says the engagement will likely take place through the 2026 to 2027 school year, after which the administration would draft a report — and bring this back to the board of trustees.

Edmonton Public Schools considers ending second-language requirement amid rise in English language learners

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