A total of 1,609,141 students participated in some bilingual teaching experience, the vast majority integrated, according to the 'Statistics on non-university education for the 2018-2019 academic year. Foreign language teaching ' published by the Ministry of Education and Professional Training, with information from the Autonomous Communities. This statistic also includes the teaching of a foreign language as a subject, which is consolidated, and the study of language teaching under the Special Regime.
The percentage of students participating in these bilingual models increases from 38.7% in the previous year to 41.8% in Primary Education; from 28.4% to 31% in ESO and from 8.9% to 9.7% in High School.
In Primary, of the 41.8% involved in this bilingual education, 35.6% participate in an integrated learning program of content and foreign language; 4.8% in other experiences and 1.4% are enrolled in foreign centers. In ESO, of the 31% who attend this education, 26.4% do so in integrated programs; 3.4% in other experiences and the remaining 1.2% in foreign centers.
By centers, 45.4% of those who teach Primary Education have some experience of using a foreign language as a language of instruction, as well as 45.2% of those who teach ESO. On the other hand, 36.8% of Primary schools and 35.3% of ESO offer integrated learning programs.
The figures are lower in the Baccalaureate centers: 16.4% have some type of bilingual teaching experience, and 11.7% an integrated learning program.
Second language learning is consolidated
Although the teaching of a foreign language is compulsory only from Primary, 84.8% of Infant students have had some kind of contact with a foreign language, essentially English. This percentage has increased notably in the last 10 years since in the 2008-2009 academic year it was 65.6%.
In turn, the number of Primary students studying a second language increases significantly. It has gone from representing 5.8% of the students in the 2013-2014 academic year to 20% in 2018-2019. The Community of Andalusia stands out in particular, where the percentage reaches 66.9%, followed by the Canary Islands, with 36.4%.
Among ESO students, 41.6% study a second foreign language. The two communities with the highest percentage are the Canary Islands (78.7%) and Galicia (69.3%), while the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, the Basque Country and Catalonia are below 30%.
In Baccalaureate, the percentage of students studying a second foreign language stands at 24.1%. It is especially important in Andalusia, where it reaches 64.8%, well ahead of the rest of the communities, led by the Comunidad Foral de Navarra, with 22.1%.
The percentages of students in both ESO and Bachillerato studying a second language are similar to those of previous years. In all educational stages, the second language is mainly French.
Regarding the Special Regime Language Teachings, its students amount to 385,413 in the 2018-2019 academic year, of which 250,902 students study English, including the distance regimen.