In Teacher Maria Burris’ classroom at the Spanish Immersion School in Mansfield, second grader Lucia answers a math problem about how many stones Lewis and Clark have, entirely in Spanish.
"Lewis y Clark tienen trece piedras," she begins, speaking carefully.
Michael Brennan, principal of the Spanish Immersion School, one of two magnet public schools in Mansfield, looks proudly into the classroom.
"All the instruction from kindergarten to second [grade] is done totally in Spanish. So the reading, the writing, the math, the social studies, everything is done in Spanish. And then in third grade ... we introduce English into the curriculum, but everything else is done, for the most part, in Spanish," he said.
Even non-immersive foreign language instruction is rare for public school students in the U.S., with just 20% of those schools offering non-English language instruction in 2017. Mansfield’s immersion program is one of few in Ohio. But even this high-performing school that draws in students from around the region is not immune to the headwinds facing other Ohio public schools.
Challenges facing Mansfield and other Ohio schools
Mansfield City Schools have struggled to get levies passed and the district has aging facilities. That’s meant challenging transitions: the district consolidated buildings in recent years to save money, which included moving the Spanish Immersion School to a slightly newer, but still decades-old, building. Principal Brennan said they’ve also had to cut a few staff, part of dozens of layoffs in spring 2025. Parents turned out to board meetings in early 2025 as news of the budget cuts circulated, worried about the future of the school.
Officials reassured them of the school's future. But more broadly, public schools in Ohio are finding themselves in an increasingly challenging federal and state funding environment as state aid has largely remained flat and inflated home values have made some residents less willing to vote for property tax increases.
"Cuts from the federal and state level are going to affect us and in every school in Ohio," Brennan said. "So we really have to do what we need to do to make things work. And that's typical for any school."
Plus, the immersion school has challenges unique to its set-up. The school is in a majority white county without an abundance of bilingual educators, so it uses a tactic common for immersion programs: bringing in instructors from other countries.
What education looks like at the Spanish Immersion School
That includes teacher Angelica Moyano, now in her third year of working at the school, one of a handful of native speakers teaching at the school. She’s from central Spain, close to Madrid.
"The immersion schools [are] private in Spain, and the families spend a lot of, lot of money, and this [school] is free. This is an extraordinary opportunity, and with native speakers [teaching]," she said.
While priority is given to local parents, the Spanish Immersion School is open enrollment and draws in students from around the region, said Jessica Hiser, parent of two students at the school. When she and her husband were looking to settle down and buy a house, they chose one in the city limits so they could be close to the school. She called it a "gem."
"The level of education that they receive is just awesome," she said. "It feels like I'll tell friends that live in other areas and cities about the girls' education, and they're like, 'Well, how much are you paying for that?' Or you know, 'Where did this charter school come from, or who's behind it?' And I'm like, 'It's the city school district.'"
Seventh grader Cainan Palmer has experienced that education first hand. The language skills he's acquired allowed him to visit Spain in in the summer, where he visited former teachers.
"In the summer I went to Spain and I also played tennis like every other day. Spain was very cool because I saw a lot of different things," Palmer said in Spanish.
Principal Brennan said dedicated teachers, involved parents and motivated kids have meant continued success despite the budget cuts.
The school continues to have the highest test scores in the district, receiving five out of five stars on the annual Ohio report card last year. And it’s preparing students like Cainan for an increasingly global future.
"Having, like, bilingual stuff can open doors and you can get like job offers and stuff," he said.
Job offers and stuff, indeed. Spanish is one of the fastest growing languages in the U.S., and one study shows bilingual people have up to 35% more job prospects.
Educators like Brennan hope to prepare more students in Mansfield for that reality.
