Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hispanics now largest demographic group in schools
For the first time, Palm Beach County’s public schools have more Hispanic students than any other demographic group.
Hispanics make up 33 percent of the district’s 190,240 students, compared with 32 percent who are white, nonHispanic and 28 percent who are black.
The district’s racial makeup is quite different than the overall demographics of the county, which is 60 percent white and 21 percent Hispanic. That’s because so many of the county’s white residents are retirees. The county’s Hispanic population skews much younger, said Jason Link, manager for enrollment and demographics.
“The Hispanic birth rate is larger, and there’s an aging white population that is not being replaced as quickly,” he said, adding there is no indication that white students are leaving the district for private schools.
Ruben Garcia, 16, was born in Cuba but has lived in West Palm Beach since he was 10. He now attends John I. Leonard High in Greenacres. He said Palm Beach County is becoming more popular with Hispanic families looking for an alternative to Miami.
“The environment here is way more calm, and the traffic is heavy in Miami and the schools are over-populated,” he said.
Although Hispanic enrollment has surged countywide, it has been greatest in the central part of the county, around West Palm Beach, Greenacres and Lake Worth. These communities have had Hispanic enclaves for years and are often more affordable than southern areas like Boca Raton and Delray Beach and northern cities like Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter, district officials said.
“Affordable housing plays a huge role, and when you’ve got families in other countries, other members of the family will follow,” Link said.
District data shows that the largest number of students who identify as Hispanic come from Guatemala, followed by Cuba, Mexico, Honduras and Colombia.
Their explosive growth is causing the district to take a closer look at how it educates Hispanic students. The district trails most of the state’s large districts, including Miami-Dade and Broward County, when it comes to student performance among Hispanic and English language learning students.
Superintendent Robert Avossa said he plans to expand dual language programs, where English and Spanish speakers are
taught in both languages. The programs are widespread in Miami-Dade and Broward, but Palm Beach County has only 14 elementary schools that do so.
Non-native speakers are usually pulled from their regular classes to attend English for Speakers of Other Language programs, until they become fluent in English.
“What we’re doing now for English-language learners isn’t as effective as we we’d like,” Avossa said. “We’re spending some time looking at what Miami is doing.”
John I. Leonard High in Greenacres, with 65 percent Hispanic students, is an example of what is working.
Last year, 71 percent of students learning English graduated from high school, up from 49 percent the year before. The school also has a large number of students who take collegelevel courses, Principal Ed Tierney said.
“We have a very supportive climate for all students,” he said. “We have a talented bilingual staff that helps students.”
Students at the school recently started a Latinos in Action group to assist those who are new to the United States. The school also has a Spanish Language Academy, affiliated with Spain, that teaches about the language, history and culture of Spanishspeaking countries.
Deborah Osendi, 18, was born in Florida, but her family immigrated from Cuba. She said the school has a good mix of students from different cultures, including many others from Cuba.
“By attending this school, I can keep my roots and still feel safe and live the American dream,” she said.