Challenges and Accomplishments of ELT at Primary Level in Chile: Becoming a Bilingual Country This article examines the development and implementation of public policies in the English teaching in Chile at the primary level in recent decades. These policies, which have made English instruction compulsory for all Chilean students since 5th grade, have had to face a number of important challenges since the introduction. One of the key impediments has been the lack of qualified English teachers to teach in primary school. In addition, in an overloaded national curriculum, insufficient hours have been allocated for teaching English. Likewise, learning resources and support materials, especially designed for children, have been limited. Despite these difficulties, it can be argued that the broader offer of English, especially at the primary level, has had an important democratizing effect. Some studies have shown a positive impact by enabling children of lower socioeconomic levels to access a global language and a world of possibilities that was previously only available to students from private institutions. The analysis discussed in this paper suggests that public policies related to the English teaching at primary level have had some positive impact in establishing the educational foundations for broader access to advanced English learning for all students in Chile. However, it is also demonstrated that there is a need to increase resources and support for teachers and English instruction at the primary level to make implementation more effective.