English Language Learners (ELLs), a diverse group of individuals from across the world who are learning English for the first time, make up the fastest growing segment of the student population in United States public schools. ELL students are tasked with the two-fold challenge of learning a new language and simultaneously keeping up with academic content taught in a language they have not yet mastered. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that many ELLs come from economically disadvantaged circumstances and have parents who may not themselves have high school diplomas, both of which are independent risk factors for a lack of academic success. This brief describes how afterschool programs offer additional supports to help ELLs thrive in the classroom. (Contains 29 endnotes.)