Anaheim Elementary School District adds Mandarin dual language immersion program with support from community

OCDE Newsroom, Education News from Orange County and beyond

By Vicky Nguyen, Feb. 16, 2023

Students in the Anaheim Elementary School District as young as transitional kindergarteners will soon be learning and speaking Mandarin.

With the Board of Education’s stamp of approval and support from district families, the school district is expanding its dual language immersion program with the addition of the Mandarin Chinese language in the 2023-24 school year. Students in the district are already learning Spanish and Korean, depending on which campus they attend.

“Studies have shown that a new language creates a strong foundation for academic success and career opportunities later in life,” said Superintendent Dr. Christopher Downing. “We cannot wait to have Mandarin spoken in our classrooms.”

Mandarin ranks second in the top 10 most spoken languages in the world. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

The district designated Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School as the inaugural campus to bring the program to students.

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