Welcome to the English as a Second Language (ESL) program for the School District of Holmen!

The ESL staff throughout the district strive to provide a continuum of services for students who have a primary language other than English. Services provided will be based upon the individual needs of each student and will integrate the involvement of family, school and community.

Mission

The School District of Holmen recognizes the unique values, cultural backgrounds, and developmental needs of students with limited English proficiency. The district is committed to facilitating the acquisition of English in a non-threatening, inclusive environment throughout the school day. Language acquisition is a complex developmental process that is unique to each learner. In order for this process to be effective, a comprehensive approach involving family, school, and community must be integrated.

Programming 

The purpose of Bilingual and ESL programs in the state of Wisconsin is to assist school districts serving students who are English Learners (ELs) to become proficient in academic English and prepared for their continuing education and career readiness goals.

Other than English, Spanish is the largest language group in Wisconsin, Hmong is the next most frequent home language, and there are over 137 identified spoken languages by Wisconsin students. About 80% of the 424 school districts in Wisconsin serve English Learners. In the School District of Holmen, about 80% of our English Learners speak Hmong as their primary language. We also have students who speak or are exposed to other languages such as Spanish, Punjabi, Chinese, Dutch, Czech, Russian, Ukrainian, Lao, Amharic, and Tigrigna. For more information about our district's ESL program, please refer to the handbook.