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Secondary Education
Secondary Education in the United States
Public vs. Private:
Secondary education in the United States varies by state, and public schools are regulated by strict laws on admitting and enrolling foreign students. Visa regulations also restrict international student enrollment in schools below the university level:
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From grades 1-8, international students cannot attend any U.S. school on an F-l
student visa. They can only enroll as F-2 or J-2 or other dependents. |
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From grades 9-12, international students can attend a public high school on an F-l
visa for only one year. However, they can attend private high schools on F-l visas for
up to four years. |
The best place for comprehensive information on public secondary education in the United States is the Department of Education's website at www.ed.gov.
The options are more flexible for international students interested in studying at private institutions, and as a result parents who seek to enroll their children in U.S. secondary school usually choose private schools. Private schools can include boarding and day schools, secular and faith-based ones. Thus, your first question to parents should be what type of school they're looking for.
Resources:
Thomson Peterson's maintains a website with information on private schools in the United States and 54 other countries at http://www.petersons.com/pschools. The site provides information on what to look for in a private school, how to choose a private school, preparing for required tests, and paying for private school. It includes a section on schools that actively recruit international students.
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) - http://www.nais.org Membership organization representing approximately 1,200 independent schools and associations in the United States and abroad
The Secondary School Admission Test - http://www.ssat.org The SSAT Student Guide Online provides comprehensive information on: SSAT registration, test preparation, online school search, schools currently considering applicants list, and online application service.
The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) - http://www.schools.com Information about accredited college-prep boarding schools. Learn about academic programs, sports, arts, and activities at college-prep boarding schools. School Finder features searches for specific programs to meet individual students' interests and needs.
Many states and regions also have their own associations:
Alabama Independent School Association
Association of Independent Maryland Schools
Association of Independent Schools in New England
Association of Independent School of Greater Washington
Connecticut Association of Independent Schools
Georgia Independent School Association
Hawaii Association of Independent Schools
Independent School Association of Massachusetts
New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Independent Schools
New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
New York State Association of Independent Schools
North Carolina Independent School Association
Ohio Association of Independent Schools
Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools
South Carolina Independent School Association
Virginia Association of Independent Schools
Required Tests:
Applicants to private schools usually must take entrance tests. The most widely used are the SSAT (Secondary School Aptitude Test) and the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Examination), which are similar to the SAT, but schools are often willing to make exceptions for students coming from countries where testing is not available.
Costs:
Private boarding schools are very expensive. Tuition alone can cost more than US$25,000 a year at the leading institutions, and there are additional fees for boarding and other services.
Choosing a School:
It can be difficult to determine the quality of the many private schools in the United States. One determinant is the list of where the school's graduates go to college. If you can't find this on the school's website, ask the admissions office for it. The average or middle 50% of SAT scores for a given school can also be a helpful indicator. Look through academic offerings, and see how many Advanced Placement (AP) courses different schools offer. AP courses represent the highest academic level classes a school can offer, so the more AP courses they offer, the stronger they are academically.
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