Mexico's National English Program loses 460,000 students

Mexico’s National English Program (Proni) saw a significant reduction in coverage between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school cycles. According to data from the Second Government Report, the program’s student reach dropped by 460,100 individuals, a 9.4% decrease, falling from approximately 4.89 million to 4.43 million students.

The reduction also affected institutional participation and staffing. The number of participating schools decreased by 647, dropping from 24,403 to 23,756. Additionally, the number of specialized teachers and educational advisors fell by 5,233, moving from 36,334 to 31,101 personnel.

Despite these declines in coverage, the approved budget for 2026 is 765.8 million pesos, which is a nominal increase of nearly 30 million pesos compared to the 2025 budget. However, when accounting for inflation since 2019, the program's funding remains lower than its 2019 level of 800 million pesos. Educational advocates have noted that this loss of coverage may erode students' access to essential educational tools.