According to the Center for Applied Linguistics, immersion programs are the fastest growing and most effective type of world language program available in U.S. schools. Immersion students develop proficiency in the target language by hearing and using it to learn academic content rather than only studying the language itself.

The goal of immersion programs is for students to become proficient in both English and the target language, and develop positive cross-cultural attitudes while reaching a high level of academic achievement. In addition to reaping the social and economic advantages of bilingualism, long-term immersion learners benefit cognitively, exhibiting greater nonverbal problem-solving abilities and more flexible thinking. From the standpoint of academic achievement, over three decades of studies consistently show that immersion students achieve as well as or better than non-immersion peers on standardized measures of verbal and mathematics skills administered in English.