“LISBOA – The teaching of Portuguese in the United States has grown and there is still a huge potential for its expansion, according to a database that the Luso American Foundation of Lisbon (FLAD) expects to publish in the upcoming months.

“The numbers surpassed our expectations,” said FLAD spokesman António Vicente. “This effort has allowed us to know the [Portuguese teaching] situation in the United States a lot better. About 70 high schools teach Portuguese in the United States. Indicators in California have shown a big growth, but there is still an immense potential for growth.”

The database numbers, which are not being released yet, are the result of an intensive information gathering effort that the foundation and its collaborators have conducted in recent years among school officials and K-12 grade public, private and community academic institutions throughout the United States. It will include, for example, the names, location and contact persons of schools that offer Portuguese classes, in addition to information about what grades are being taught and how many students take advantage of these programs, among other pertinent details.”

- O Jornal (more here)

Unfortunately the article makes no mention of what kind of demand there is nor specifically where the demand is (aside from mentioning the entire state of California). Anything is better than just the ol’ Spanish/French offering that almost every high school offers.