COLUMBIA, MO. (AP) -- Public schools in Columbia are preparing for the largest number of students whose native language is not English to ever attend the district.
The number of English-language learners, or ELL students, in the district has risen steadily since 2008.
In 2008, 517 ELL students enrolled in Columbia Public School. That increased to 592 in 2009.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the district is preparing for 594 ELL students when school resumes Aug. 19. District enrollment was 17,419 last fall.
A limited knowledge of English often means students have a harder time in class. But the district also gains from the new cultures the students bring from their home countries, which include China, Iraq and South Korea.
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