Indigenous and World language (IWL) instruction in Saint Paul Public Schools is designed to facilitate genuine interaction with others. Students learn to communicate with people in other languages and cultures in a variety of settings, look beyond their customary borders, and develop insight into their own language and culture. Research indicates that the process of studying another language gives students a cognitive boost in other subject areas, enabling them to perform at higher levels.

SPPS offers 10 indigenous and world languages for students through a variety of programs: Dakota/Lakota, Ojibwe, Hmong, Chinese, French, German, Latin, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish.  IWL partners closely with Immersion/Dual Immersion to offer language learning at a variety of scales and to provide Seal of Biliteracy assessments.