School question

[Twinkles 10]

Hello,

I am currently in the Uk. Going through the visa process to move to America to settle with my 15 year old son.

My Son leaves the English school system completely before next summer 2010.

We will then be moving to america all things being approved of course via the K1 visa process.

My question is. Will my son have to attend a school in America? and if not. Will him only having English exam results affect his work prospects in the future in the States?

Appreciate some experiences on this as im totally clueless!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

In the US, the schools fall mostly under State laws. You'll find that true of driver's licenses and marriage rules/licenses too. So there's 50 different scenarios depending on where you will reside. There are some federal laws (whole US) that schools must follow but in general the states run the education system. In my state a student can leave school at age 16 without any penalties, but they are considered "drop outs" who didn't complete their education. Most go through 12th grade (about age 18) and get a high school diploma. Education and books are free (I think in every state) and it might be a very good thing for your son's future to graduate from high school. There are private schools that people elect to attend, but public education is available to all. In general, I don't think a 16 year old looking for work and a career would have as good a chance as a high school graduate. If he has the qualifications to be admitted to college/university with his UK credentials, then that's an option. There are many community colleges and junior colleges to start off in a smaller setting, but the credits can be transferred to a university if one wants to continue education.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Not all students leaving school early are considered drop outs. My daughter finished high school at 15 , she started HS at 12. If you child is advanced in their schedule then I would think that having him take a least a couple classes in either high school or a community college would help him develop some friends here. But if he is finished with his school requirements then he may be able to not go or at worse have to pass a GED test to get a US diploma equivalent. I would expect he would do really well at world history ( which is mostly European history) and may need to do a little studying for US history. You really can't do much in the US as only a HS graduate. I would recommend he study something here.

[English Muffin 59]

Moving from UK forum to 'Moving Here' forum.

[Mononoke28 135]

Even if your son finished his high school education in the UK, I think it would be a good idea for him to do at least one year of high school here in the US so that he can make his transition to college a bit easier. If that's not something he wants to do and he already has his high school diploma, he can still go talk to a college counselor at the school of his choice to see what they recommend he should do. Most college students here in the US are 18 years old on average so he'd be a bit younger than most, but that doesn't mean he can't go to school with the rest of them.

It's really a personal decision though.

Diana

[Boiler 46,156]

Hello,

I am currently in the Uk. Going through the visa process to move to America to settle with my 15 year old son.

My Son leaves the English school system completely before next summer 2010.

We will then be moving to america all things being approved of course via the K1 visa process.

My question is. Will my son have to attend a school in America? and if not. Will him only having English exam results affect his work prospects in the future in the States?

Appreciate some experiences on this as im totally clueless!

To get into College/Uni he is going to need more than that.

You do not I believe need a degree to get a job at Wal Mart, but it is getting close to that.

What does he want ot do?

[perfect 39]

My son finished school in the UK and came here in 2005. (California) it was more difficult for him to find employment because of his age in comparison with local high school graduates. Ended up enrolling in Community College which is a good compromise between High School and University. He can get AA degree in 2 years or accumulate transferrable credits. Maybe somethign worth looking into. (He would need EAD or Greencard to be able to get resident tuition fees) or can pay full tuition to start with and then get resident tuition once he qualifies if you want to keep him busy.

Also, my son got great grades for his end of schol exams in the UK (all 1 and 2's) but one university when we sent them for US equivalency said he hadn't even got the equivalent of high school diploma or GED, which was complete BS (we complained about the company). SO may want to check that out also just in case.