When graduates at the Margarita Muñiz Academy in Boston get their diplomas, they don’t turn their tassels to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” or Vitamin C’s “Graduation.”

For decades, two factors drove the demand for dual-language education: a desire to preserve native languages and recognition that dual-language learning can boost overall achievement for English-language learners. 

The nerves kicked in when Papá pulled into the parking lot. This school was enormous; would I be able to make any friends? I was ready with new clothes and supplies, but I wasn’t prepared for what followed.

The latest data from the 2015-16 school year compiled by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities show increasing Hispanic student enrollment in school districts nationwide, increases which are dramatically changing higher education demographics and leading to a continued expansion of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the future.