Private Commuter High School

In recent years, a majority of Chinese families in pursuing the best education for their children have started to apply to American private schools that provide host families and commuting transportation. Being part of a private commuter high school allows children to form meaningful relationships and integrate cross-culturally. It also provides them an opportunity to be part of healthy family life.
Some parents choose schools mainly based on tuition and living expenses, which is understandable. But if financial resources are not a concern, we strongly recommend that you focus on providing your child with the best living environment, especially in his or her first few years in studying abroad. While considering different options, be sure to evaluate the quality and frequency of interactions between the host families and the school.
Secondly, we recommend that you consider the following areas in choosing a school:
  1. The history of the school, its accreditation, and recognitions by the Department of Education.
  2. The qualification of faculty and staff, and teacher-student ratio. In California’s private commuter high schools, the teacher-student ratio is set around 1:15-20. Most public high schools have a ratio of 1 to 30 or more students.
  3. The school’s academic achievement data, or SAT scores. In general, SAT score averages at private schools are in the range of 1200 to 1800, with slight differences from school to school. Schools with scores around 1700 are considered very excellent, and these schools will usually require an admissions interview for the incoming new student.
  4. Where students go after graduation. Some schools publish their annual post-secondary campus acceptances online. Parents can use this information in their school selection process.
  5. Post-secondary educational programs enrollment rate. If a school’s college enrollment rate reaches 90% or higher, it attests to the school’s quality teaching and a successful student population.
  6. Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings. AP courses are college-level classes taken during high school. The AP exams are nationally recognized and sponsored by the College Board. Many parents mistakenly believe that all AP courses passed on the exam can be used to set off college course credits. However, because each university recognizes different AP achievements, only those in line with the school’s standards can be used to exempt students from related college courses. That being said, scoring well on AP exams can shorten a student’s time in college and thus reduce tuition costs.
  7. School’s athletic teams, clubs, and extracurricular activities. For American universities, a key factor considered in admissions is a student’s learning and activities outside of school. According to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, human intelligence can be differentiated into areas: musical–rhythmic, visual–spatial, verbal–linguistic, logical–mathematical, bodily–kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Therefore, major U.S. university admissions committees’ evaluation of students is not based on students’ academic achievement alone, but particularly focuses on their holistic development. Of course, different schools offer a different variety of activities, and can be selected from according to a child’s strengths and interests.
Also, we would like to remind you that many agents will not tell you the whole truth about schools. For example, they will tell you that a school has a student body with Caucasian students but only when you arrive to the campus will you discover that the majority is students abroad from China. Actually, a good high school should have a lot of information available online. A simple test is to look at descriptions of a school from unbiased sources, such as Wikipedia.
Many parents raise this question: Why do international students have to pay a higher tuition fee than students from the U.S. do? The reason is very simple. It is because as U.S. citizens and legal residents, they are already obligated to pay high taxes to the U.S. government.

Whittier Christian High School

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惠蒂尔基督教高中 (Whittier Christian High School)  -  惠蒂尔基督教高中是一所男女混校，目前在9到12年级招收大约720名学生。惠蒂尔基督教高中在学业、精神、社会和运动方面完善学生，达到他们在基督教里 的全部潜能。惠蒂尔基督教高中提供终身的优势，通过将圣经的真理融合到学生生活的方方面面。在高期望的氛围中，学校支持学生在基督教学校最大化地体验他们 的高中生活。在学术上,学生们可以定制他们的个人学习计划,满足他们的特定学习目标,同时可以自发地参加各种各样的课外活动。

Valley Christian Schools

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山谷基督教学校 (Valley Christian Schools) - 山谷基督教学校系统有四个校区, 占地有38英亩, 幼儿园和小学位于 city of Bellflower. 初中和高中位于 city of Cerritos.山谷基督教高中是Cerritos排名第一的私立高中. 大学入学和教育评鉴在当地排名第一. Cerritos位于加利福尼亚州南部。它毗邻洛杉矶县及橙县, 天气温和,全年阳光充沛，交通也很方便。开车30分钟,即可到达洛杉矶市中心. 山谷基督教高中的实验室是大学标准, 学校赢得了许多数学和科学评鉴冠军. 山谷基督教高中,校风纯净. 基督教教育,重于道德和品德教育，教师都是基督徒，热爱和关心孩子,这是有助于学生茁壮成长一个大好环境。