CASASComprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems
The standardized assessment system used across California adult schools and ESL programs to assess reading and listening levels for appropriate placement.
Statutory Authority / Agency: casas.org
Find tuition-free English classes near you at California public Adult Schools and Community Colleges without expensive language school tuition.
This guide is based on official guidelines from the California Department of Education and the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. Noncredit adult education is 100% free regardless of immigration status or income.
California offers two primary tuition-free ESL pathways. Choose the one that best fits your goals.
Operated by local K-12 school districts, focusing on practical English needed for everyday life in the US (groceries, healthcare, banking, parent-teacher conferences) in a supportive community setting.
Offered by California's 116 community colleges as tuition-free noncredit courses, focusing on college-level grammar, reading, academic writing, and workplace English.
Select your county and desired convenience features (evening, online, childcare) to find public centers near you.
California's largest adult education provider with over 30 main campuses and hundreds of branch locations across LA.
Comprehensive tuition-free noncredit college English program across 9 LACCD colleges (LACC, ELAC, Pierce, etc.).
Day and evening ESL with free childcare support for immigrants in Torrance and the South Bay area.
High-quality noncredit ESL and career pathway programs at Glendale College's Garfield Campus.
Flexible day, evening, and online ESL with childcare services in the heart of Silicon Valley.
Structured adult school serving parents and immigrants in Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and San Jose.
Learn academic and business English for free while utilizing San José City College campus facilities.
Large-scale tuition-free adult education covering Anaheim, Fullerton, Cypress, and North Orange County.
Continuing education center under Santiago Canyon College serving Irvine, Orange, and Santa Ana.
Free adult English classes operated by Irvine Unified School District for community residents.
Day and evening ESL and citizenship preparation classes for Berkeley and East Bay residents.
Tuition-free noncredit college English across Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda community colleges.
Accessible free noncredit ESL across San Francisco campuses (Chinatown, Mission, Downtown, Ocean).
Structured day and evening adult education classes for San Mateo and Peninsula residents.
Community-focused adult school serving South San Francisco and Daly City residents.
Day and evening ESL and childcare services for immigrants in Concord and Walnut Creek.
San Diego's premier free adult education institution across 7 modern campus locations.
Free adult education courses operated by Charles A. Jones Center under SCUSD in Sacramento.
Historic adult school serving immigrants and adult learners in Riverside and the Inland Empire.
A straightforward enrollment process designed to be stress-free for all learners.
Select a convenient school from the directory above and navigate to their official ESL registration page.
Fill out basic student contact information to receive your Student ID. No SSN or legal status is required.
Take a diagnostic placement assessment to match you with the right class level. This is not a pass/fail test.
Choose your preferred class times (morning, evening, or online) and start attending. Most course materials are provided for free.
Look up the full expansions and plain-language definitions of key abbreviations and legal terms used throughout our California guides.
The standardized assessment system used across California adult schools and ESL programs to assess reading and listening levels for appropriate placement.
A state initiative combining the California Department of Education and Community Colleges to deliver free adult education, ESL, and workforce skills training.
Federal legislation providing funding for adult education, literacy, and English language acquisition programs across the nation.