LEP

Education & Academia abbreviation · K-12 Education

LEP
Stands forLimited English proficient
CategoriesEducation & Academia

LEP stands for Limited English proficient, a K-12 education abbreviation.

Older federal term for students or adults whose English skills limit their ability to learn or access services, largely replaced in K-12 education by "English learner" since 2015. It remains in some federal and state laws and in language-access policies for government services.

Example: Older district reports count LEP students by grade and home language.

Usage notes

Advocates criticized the term for defining learners by limitation. Language-access rules for courts, hospitals and agencies historically used LEP to describe people needing interpreters or translations. Texas replaced the term with "emergent bilingual" in 2021.

More K-12 education abbreviations

  • ISD – Independent school district
  • JHS – Junior high school
  • JROTC – Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
  • K-12 – Kindergarten through 12th grade
  • K-8 – Kindergarten through 8th grade
  • LEA – Local educational agency
  • LRE – Least restrictive environment
  • ML – Multilingual learner
  • MS – Middle school
  • MTSS – Multi-tiered system of supports
  • NBCT – National Board Certified Teacher
  • NGSS – Next Generation Science Standards

See all 96 K-12 education abbreviations →