LAKESIDE, Calif. -- A charter school in Lakeside is teaching its students three different languages before they even learn long division.

Riverview Elementary and International Academy is teaching students Spanish, English and is now having them learn Mandarin as part of a special program.

Fourth-grade student Avery Solsbak knows how to read and speak Spanish and Mandarin, and he now has a clear picture of what that means for his future.

"I like traveling, so if I travel a lot it would be useful to know these languages. Especially since Spanish is known to a lot of countries. It's kind of useful to know different languages," said Avery.

One kindergarten student said he likes Spanish because he can speak with many people around the world.

"We've already seen great results in their test scores; very high-performing. Fourth graders are above grade level," Principal Olympia Kyriakidis told 10News.

Kyriakidis said the school chose Mandarin because it is a character-based language. School officials found Italian and French to be too similar to Spanish.

Different teachers teach the different languages so students will not get confused.

Because of the program's success, students will increase the time spent learning Mandarin to 50 percent next school year.

Kyriakidis said children who learn at a young age are more likely to stick with the language. School officials said people who can speak English, Spanish and Mandarin can communicate with 75 percent of the world.

Kyriakidis told 10News parents don’t have to speak Spanish or Mandarin, and the best way to help their children is by speaking to them in English at home.