Duluth Spanish immersion program marks graduations, opens kindergarten spots

While one group of students was finishing elementary school and another was getting ready for middle school graduation, Duluth Public Schools said families still have a chance to get into Nueva Visión Spanish Immersion through kindergarten.

The district’s Spanish immersion program is sending off two graduating classes. Fifth graders at Lowell Elementary and Myers-Wilkins Elementary are wrapping up their time in the program, and eighth graders at Lincoln Park Middle School are preparing for graduation on Saturday, May 30, at 3 p.m. at Lincoln Park. Gabriela Theis, the program’s coordinator, said there are spots available in the incoming kindergarten class.

Nueva Visión begins in kindergarten and is designed to support academic and linguistic development in two languages. Duluth Public Schools says students learn the same state and district standards as other Duluth students, but instruction is entirely in Spanish, with culture, language and content integrated throughout the program. For parents weighing immersion against a traditional elementary track, that means the program is built as a full academic pathway, not an add-on language class.

The program currently operates at Lowell Elementary and Myers-Wilkins Elementary. It had expanded to Myers-Wilkins after continued overcrowding at Lowell, showing that demand has already pushed the district to adjust the footprint of the immersion option. Duluth Public Schools says kindergarten enrollment is open, and children who are 5 years old on or before Sept. 1 are eligible to start.

That timing matters for families trying to plan ahead. Duluth Public Schools’ 2026-2027 course-offerings pages list registration deadlines for high school and middle school, underscoring the need to think about what happens after the immersion years end. District leaders have also been considering how to keep students building Spanish skills as they move toward high school, where course selection can determine whether language study continues or fades away.

The enrollment picture comes as the district is also facing a $4 million budget gap for the 2026-2027 school year and approved a plan to trim spending by about $4.2 million. For families, the takeaway is straightforward: Nueva Visión is still accepting kindergarten students now, and the next years will determine how well Duluth keeps the immersion pipeline intact from Lowell and Myers-Wilkins through Lincoln Park and beyond.