(2026) Recent studies provide evidence supporting inclusion and diversity within French immersion programs.
Is French immersion a good option for all students?
- Introduction
- When students with additional learning needs are in French immersion, do they continue to develop their English academic skills?
- What about French skills? Do students with additional learning needs learn French in a French immersion classroom?
- When students from multilingual households are in French immersion, do they continue to build their English academic skills?
- What about students from multilingual households who have additional learning needs? If these students are in French immersion, do they continue to develop their English academic skills?
- Implications for classroom practice
- Conclusion
- References
- Further information
- Link to the original publication or the bibliographical reference
Introduction
School boards across Canada actively strive to welcome diverse students into French immersion programs (e.g., OCDSB, 2025). Still, gaps exist in equitable access to French immersion (Barrett DeWiele & Edgerton, 2020; Kunnas, 2024). For example, students who are considered at risk for academic difficulties, such as students with additional learning needs and those from multilingual homes, are less likely to register, and to stay registered, in French immersion (Kay-Raining Bird et al., 2021).
Although enrollment imbalances between French immersion and English language of instruction may arise from a combination of factors (e.g., distance to the school or importance of French within the region; Barrett DeWiele & Edgerton, 2020), an additional important consideration is continuing concerns that second language programs, such as French immersion, will exacerbate language learning challenges for these diverse learners (Barrett DeWiele & Edgerton, 2020; Paradis et al., 2021). However, a growing body of research provides compelling evidence to set this fear aside by demonstrating that students with additional learning needs and those from varied linguistic backgrounds can and do succeed in second language learning programs (Genesee & Lindholm-Leary, 2021). Nevertheless, key questions remain regarding academic achievement and language development in both English and French for students with additional learning needs and for students from multilingual homes.
When students with additional learning needs are in French immersion, do they continue to develop their English academic skills?
French immersion programs most commonly exist in regions where English is the majority language. Accordingly, students need to graduate from French immersion programs with strong communication skills in English, alongside the French that they developed through immersion. It has been well-established that students without additional learning needs continue to develop their English skills when registered in French immersion programs (Genesee & Lindholm-Leary, 2021). A recent study by Kay-Raining Bird and colleagues (2021) extends these findings to students who do have additional learning needs.
Using a secondary analysis of data from a provincially mandated standardized assessment of academic skills tested in English, Kay-Raining Bird et al. (2021) investigated achievement in the domains of reading, writing, and mathematics of grade 3 students with additional learning needs and individualized education plans (IEPs; in the original paper these participants were referred to as students with special education needs). The participants (n = 705) were students with autism, language impairment, or learning disabilities, and were enrolled in French immersion (n = 272) or in English instruction (n = 433). Achievement was compared across the programs by examining the proportion of participants meeting the provincial standard in each domain when tested in English. Overall, the results showed that this proportion either did not differ across the two programs or was higher for participants in French immersion, in all three academic domains.
These are encouraging results regarding achievement in English, but they must be tempered by other findings from this study suggesting more limited access and participation in French Immersion of students with additional learning needs, in particular for those with more severe disabilities (Kay-Raining Bird et al. 2021). Further research is needed in this regard to understand contributing factors and to enhance access to French immersion for students with a range of additional learning needs.
What about French skills? Do students with additional learning needs learn French in a French immersion classroom?
A longstanding, primary goal of French immersion programs is to support bilingual (English-French) oral language development (Lambert & Tucker, 1972). The Kay-Raining Bird et al. (2021) study mentioned above and Sutton et al. (2025) investigated these skills in students with additional learning needs after three years of French immersion. Regarding French skills, the subset of participants (n = 20) from the Kay-Raining Bird et al study showed expected development (relative to the number of years of exposure). They had made substantial gains in their French skills, exhibiting French oral language abilities at or above a four-year-old French level and French word reading skills at or above a six-and-a-half-year-old level (based on expected scores for children being raised in monolingual, majority-French environments). Building on this finding, Sutton et al. (2025) explored the French oral language abilities within a participant group (n = 28) that included students in French immersion, with additional learning needs and those without such needs. There was substantial individual variation in French abilities, but, crucially, participants with additional learning needs showed patterns of French performance comparable to those of students without additional learning needs.
When students from multilingual households are in French immersion, do they continue to build their English academic skills?
In their original conception, French immersion programs were designed to support English-speaking students in learning French alongside continuing to build their English academic skills (Lambert & Tucker, 1972), that is, in a bilingual context. Since then, the linguistic diversity of French immersion students has increased, following Canadian population trends. In contrast to the bilingual environment for English-speaking students, for multilingual students, whose home language is neither English nor French, French immersion creates (at least) a trilingual context, as both English and French are used as languages of instruction (Government of Ontario, 2013), in addition to the language(s) these students are learning in the home. These differences in linguistic environment (e.g., bilingual vs. trilingual) have led some educators, parents and other community educational partners to raise concerns about the English development of multilingual students in French immersion (Davis, 2019).
Sorenson Duncan et al. (2024) addressed this concern in a study involving students from multilingual homes (n = 365) who were enrolled in French immersion (n = 196) or in English instruction (n = 169) programs. They conducted a secondary analysis of academic achievement data for the domains of reading, writing, and mathematics, tested in English (similar to the Kay-Raining Bird et al. achievement data discussed above). The results showed that the proportion of participants meeting the provincial standard was similar in the two programs, in all three academic domains. These findings suggest that English academic achievement of multilingual students can be fostered just as well within bilingual programs such as French immersion, as in English instruction programs. Students who speak a minority language at home do not need to be directed to the English programs for that reason.
What about students from multilingual households who have additional learning needs? If these students are in French immersion, do they continue to develop their English academic skills?
Just as is the case for English-speaking students, some students from multilingual homes have additional learning needs. These students require appropriate learning supports whether they are registered in French immersion or English language programs (Arnott et al, 2019; Kay-Raining Bird et al., 2021). However, the concern that arises for some parents and educators is whether the multilingual environment of French immersion is appropriate for students with additional learning needs who are from multilingual households (Marinova-Todd et al., 2016).
Using the same provincially mandated standardized assessment of English academic skills as reported in the studies noted above, Sutton et al. (2024) examined academic achievement in reading, writing and mathematics by multilingual students with additional learning needs (n = 131) who were enrolled in French immersion (n = 35) or in English instruction (n = 96) programs. The results showed that the proportion of participants meeting the provincial standard was similar in the two programs, in all three domains. These findings suggest that participating in French immersion did not increase the risk of academic difficulty, relative to English language of instruction, even for minority language students with additional learning needs.
Implications for classroom practice
Since the introduction of French immersion in the late 1960s, many studies, conducted with English-speaking students without additional learning needs, have demonstrated its effectiveness in promoting bilingualism in both official languages with no negative impact on academic achievement. In other words, students attain similar levels of skills and achievement whether in French immersion or in English programs. Less is known regarding bilingual oral language development and academic achievement among students considered to be “at risk” when enrolled in French immersion, leading to concerns in this regard among some educational partners. The findings of studies that do exist, including those discussed above, show that the academic achievement and bilingual oral language skills of students in French immersion were at similar levels to those of their peers in English programs, whether they were students with additional learning needs, students from multilingual homes, or both. These findings contradict the notion that language skills and academic achievement attained will be weaker in French immersion than in English programs and suggest that French immersion should be considered an appropriate option for these students.
Conclusion
This body of research adds to the mounting evidence that students with diverse learning needs and from varied backgrounds can and do succeed in French immersion programs. These students need not be directed to English programs.
However, the findings reported here should not be interpreted as evidence that students can be placed in French immersion without appropriate supports in place. Students with additional learning needs require learning supports and accommodations in French immersion, just as they do in English programs. Students from multilingual households may continue to need English as an additional language supports, just as they do in English programs. That said, we wish to emphasize that French immersion is an appropriate option for a diverse group of students. We applaud the on-going work of school boards across the country in their initiatives to increase the enrollment of diverse students into their French immersion programs and encourage continued conversations around the most effective supports to ensure all students thrive within French immersion.
References
Arnott, S., Masson, M., & Lapkin, S. (2019). Exploring trends in 21st century Canadian K-12 French as second language research: A research synthesis. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 22(1), 60–84.
Barrett DeWiele, C. E., & Edgerton, J. D. (2020). Opportunity or inequality? The paradox of French immersion education in Canada. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(2), 114-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1865988
Davis, S. (2019). “How am I supposed to teach them French when they can’t even speak English?”: Unpacking the myth of English proficiency as a prerequisite for French immersion. Journal of Belonging, Identity, Language, and Diversity, 3(1), 5–22.
Genesee, F., & Lindholm-Leary, K. (2021). The suitability of dual language education for diverse students: An overview of research in Canada and the United States. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 9(2), 164–192. https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/jicb.21001.gen
Kay-Raining Bird, E., Genesee, F., Sutton, A., Chen, X., Oracheski, J., Pagan, S., … & Sorenson Duncan, T. (2021). Access and outcomes of children with special education needs in Early French Immersion. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 9(2), 193-222. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.23031.sut
Kunnas, R. M. (2024). Monologues from the margins: Voices and experiences of racially minoritized French immersion students. Doctoral dissertation, York University. https://hdl.handle.net/10315/42213
Lambert, W., & Tucker, R. (1972). Bilingual education of children: The St. Lambert experiment. Newbury House Publishers.
Marinova-Todd, S. H., Colozzo, P., Mirenda, P., Stahl, H., Kay-Raining Bird, E., Parkington, K., Cain, K., Scherba de Valenzuela, J., Segers, E., MacLeod, A. A. N., & Genesee, F. (2016). Professional practices and opinions about services available to bilingual children with developmental disabilities: An international study. Journal of Communication Disorders, 63, 47– 62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2016.05.004
Government of Ontario. (2013). French as a Second Language Programs. https://www.ontario .ca/page/french-second-language-programs
OCDSB Elementary Program Review (2025). Accessed, May 14, 2025: https://engage.ocdsb.ca/elementary-program-review.
Paradis, J., Genesee, F., & Crago, M. (2021). Dual language development and disorders: A handbook on bilingualism and second language learning. Brooks Publishing.
Sorenson Duncan, T., Sutton, A., Genesee, F., Chen, X., Bird, E. K. R., Pagan, S., & Oracheski, J. (2024). Academic achievement in English: Minority home language students in early French immersion. International Journal of Bilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069241267
Sutton, A., Genesee, F., Kay-Raining Bird, E., Chen, X., Sorenson Duncan, T., Pagan, S., & Oracheski, J. (2024). Academic achievement of minority home language students with special education needs in English language of instruction and French immersion programs. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 12(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.23015.sut
Sutton, A., Kay-Raining Bird, E., Genesee, F., Chen, X., Sorenson Duncan, T., Pagan, S., & Oracheski, J. (2025). An exploration of oral language profiles of students in early French immersion. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, Online first view. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.23031.sut
Link to the original publication or the bibliographical reference
Kay-Raining Bird et al. (2021): https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.23031.sut
Sorenson Duncan et al. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069241267
Sutton et al. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.23015.sut
Sutton et al. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.23031.sut
