New groundbreaking research from the UChicago Consortium on School Research shows that students who begin CPS as English Learners (EL) in kindergarten and reach proficiency by eighth grade are matching or exceeding the academic performance of their peers who have never been classified as ELs – a finding that speaks to the strength of bilingual supports and programming throughout the district. By evaluating student performance from kindergarten through the beginning of high school, the Consortium found that by eighth grade most students who began as English Learners had higher attendance, math test scores and core course grades than their peers who were never classified as English Learners, while achieving similar reading test scores and Freshman OnTrack rates. Students who have been identified as an English Learner at some point encompass nearly 32 percent of the district’s overall enrollment. According to the report’s findings, nearly four out of every five CPS English Learners (80 percent) developed English proficiency by eighth grade, with the majority of these students reaching proficiency by fifth grade (77 percent).