Children from all over the world come to study in American boarding schools. The vast territory and the many states located in different climatic zones with different traditions, values and standards of living make it possible to find the right school for each child.
The U.S. Secondary Education System
Comprehensive schools in the United States begin at age 6 and end at age 18-19 and include the following stages.
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Elementary (Primary) - Grades 1-5 - 6-11 years old
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Secondary (Middle School) - Grades 6-8 - Ages 11-14
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Advanced (high school) - grades 9-12 - 14-18 years old
The primary entry points for international students are age 11 (high school) and age 14 (high school).
Most schools in the U.S. provide housing for children 14 and older; however, some schools accept young students from host families or homestay families.
What schools in the U.S. admit foreigners?
Foreign students on study visas can attend private boarding schools in the United States. These schools are located on a large, enclosed campus with an educational building, residences, cafeteria, medical center, athletic fields, school store and library. As a rule, students wear uniforms, do their homework in special classes or in their rooms, and after lunch they participate in sports classes, creative circles or hobby clubs. Each school has a set of rules about students leaving the school grounds (usually, children over 14 are unaccompanied during the day), using the gym, waking up and hanging out, and using electronic devices. Children are provided with three meals a day and can also buy snacks with pocket money from vending machines.
Accommodation can sometimes be arranged with a host family. Host families usually live in private homes outside of town, 30-40 minutes from the school. In this case, the child returns to the family after school and the family organizes his meals, homework and leisure activities.
In order for a child to attend a U.S. public day school, the child must live with a parent who is legally residing in the U.S. on a work, study, family or investor visa.
When and how to apply?
Most schools in the United States have the following admissions process.
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The application deadline is January 10 of the year prior to the start of the school year.
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Admissions Documents.
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School grades for the past 3 years + current grades.
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Characteristics from the English teacher, math teacher and classroom teacher.
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Personal essays from students
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parents' answers to their child's questions.
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Characteristics from extracurricular circles or sports department heads.
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Entrance exams (early registration required, results within 2 weeks).
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SSAT
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TOEFL/IELTS
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Skype interview with student or in-person school visit.
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The decision to offer a place at the school is made on March 10.
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Other schools accept students for 1 trial semester and start in January.
In addition, some international schools may exempt students from taking the SSAT and TOEFL and administer their own entrance exams.
Top U.S. High Schools
North Broward Preparatory School
North Broward Preparatory School (NBPS) opened in 1957 in the small town of Coconut Creek on Florida's Pacific coast. Approximately 1,650 students, from nearly 30 countries, attend the school. It is part of the prestigious Nord-Anders educational chain of schools.
The school applies the latest technologies and achievements in the field of interactive education. NBPS has Apple Distinguished School status, and within the framework of this program, Apple provides each student with a personal MacBook. Students perform a wide range of hands-on tasks, and some classes take place outside the classroom, on open campus.
Graduates are highly successful, with 100% of students passing and going on to become leaders in their fields at universities such as Yale and Princeton.
Tuition at North Broward Preparatory School starts at $34,300
The Village School
The Village School opened in 1966 in the suburbs of Houston, Texas as part of the prestigious Noonday Education family of schools. The Village School has nearly 2,000 students ages 2 to 18, at all levels from preschool to upper school. Foreign students are allowed full board from the age of 13.
Education in the upper grades is based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. In addition, the school offers interesting experimental programs for high school students.
Diploma in Entrepreneurship, which develops entrepreneurial thinking and financial literacy, in which students invent and create a business project that solves a real-world problem.
The creative field offers an equally strong program. Students can choose any of the arts, from painting to voice, from filmmaking to fashion design, and participate in programs created with the assistance of professionals in these fields as well as experts from The Juilliard School, one of America's leading creative universities.
Graduates of The Village School have excelled in examinations, entered universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford, and built illustrious careers in medicine, science, business, media, sports or the arts.
Cost of study at The Village School starts at $30,700
Windermere Preparatory School
Windermere Preparatory School opened in 2000 in Lake Butler, a small community in Orlando, Florida. The entire chain of lakes surrounds the area, and the peninsula is flanked by the waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Windermere Preparatory School is part of the Nord Anglia Education family and is the only school in Central Florida that specializes in International Baccalaureate (IB) preparation. Foreign students are accepted on a full board basis from the age of 13.
For each student, the academic curators develop a 4-year personal development plan.
Windermere Prep students actively participate in local and international tournaments, tournaments, Olympic games and competitions. Graduates excel in final exams and then go on to attend top U.S. and world class universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Cardiff or Sydney.
Tuition at Windermere Preparatory School starts at $24,150
Johnsbury College
English stone. Johnsbury Academy (SJA) was founded in 1841 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, a 2-hour drive from Montreal. It is a great place to live and work, with numerous parks, reserves, reservoirs and nature preserves. This favorable location provides for a special SJA field semester education option in which students can conduct small scientific expeditions and do hands-on research. The chronicle of events is described in detail by the participants in a separate blog.
Among the additional options, biomedical and health courses (Biomedical and Health Sciences), engineering and robotics fundamentals (College Prep Engineering and FIRST Robotics), and arts studies (SJA Arts Intensive) are differentiated separately.
SJA graduates perform well on exams each year, well above state and national averages. With nearly two hundred years of work, the college has produced many notable politicians, businessmen, actors, writers, journalists and athletes.
Tuition in St. Louis at Johnsbury College from $61,400
Cretin-Derham Hall High School
Cretin-Derham Hall High School (CDH) opened in 1987 in St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota, the second largest city in the state after Minneapolis. Together, they form the metropolitan cluster known as the Twin Cities. CDH is part of Amerigo's prestigious school chain.
CDH offers AP and honors courses in 47 majors and 170 subjects. In addition to the required English (10+ credit hours per week), French, Spanish, Mandarin and Latin are offered. In addition, students can participate in Cretin-Derham Hall High School's unique programs.
Parallel study program - the school partners with the University of Minnesota and St. Mary's University, where students can study subjects (such as physics or writing) in depth at the university.
The school's education is divided into three semesters, so you can start education at any time. Near CDH, Minnesota has several strong universities: University of Minnesota, Carleton College, McAlester College, St. Olaf College, and many of the school's graduates go on to these universities.
Tuition at Cretin-Derham Hall High School From $70,850