Our Program:
The International Approach
Our Students
Our schools serve recent immigrant students who are new learners of English. Our students come to us with a world of experience and knowledge of life that we can and do build on.
Our students come from more than 90 countries, and speak more than 52 languages. Our students often have traveled amazing paths to arrive in America. They are adolescents who are both in transition to a new country, new culture and new language. Our students are often used to school systems in other countries, with different customs and cultural norms. Some of our students were at grade level in the countries, and read and write their own languages well. Others have been out of school for months or years, a result of the political turmoil, wars and upheavals that engulf large parts of the globe. A very small number may have never, or almost never attended school.
- When students enter our schools, they have been in the country four years or less and speak very little English.
- 86% of our students come from low-income families.
- 15% of our students have had interrupted formal education due to wars and/or lack of free education options in their native countries.
- 70% of our students have been separated from one or both parents during their family's immigration to the United States
Our students choose to attend International High Schools as a way out of large, traditional high schools. They like its small, family-like environment where they feel safe, get the support they need and can prepare academically for college while learning English.
Our Students Come to Us From Around the Globe
| Country | % of Total Students | Country | % of Total Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 18% | Pakistan | 1% |
| Dominican Republic | 14% | Venezuela | 1% |
| Ecuador | 12% | Albania | 1% |
| Mexico | 6% | Ivory Coast | 1% |
| Colombia | 5% | Senegal | 1% |
| Poland | 4% | Sierra Leone | 1% |
| Other Spanish Speakers | 3% | Argentina | 1% |
| Haiti | 3% | Mali | 1% |
| Bangladesh | 3% | Nepal | 1% |
| Yemen | 3% | Brazil | 1% |
| Guinea | 2% | Korea | 1% |
| France | 2% | Panama | 1% |
| Peru | 2% | Yugoslavia | 1% |
| Honduras | 1% | Ghana | 1% |
| El Salvador | 1% | Thailand | 1% |
| India | 1% | ||