Public high school

• International students aged 15-18.5 can study in a US public high school for one year through the exchange program and live with local families.
• However, the exchange student visa (J1) does not allow for the selection of states, schools, and families, and not all subjects are open to exchange students, so the grade of study is also variable; after completing one year of exchange, students will not have transcripts or diplomas, but will have a record of their studies.
• If you have completed Grade 12 (Form 6) through an exchange program but do not have a diploma, you can of course take a 4-subject GED exam to prove that you have completed the American high school curriculum, but not all American universities recognize GED. Some universities require a high school diploma issued by the state government.
• Tuition, board and lodging: HK$100,000 per year

Private secondary school

• Target : Students who wish to study in Form 1 to Form 5 in an American high school, i.e., classes 7-11 (American high schools last for 6 years, with 12 classes, i.e., graduating from Form 6)
• Tuition, board and lodging : HK$160,000-570,000 per year
• Related information : List of American high schools

Boarding School

• Target : Students who wish to study in Form 3 to Form 5 in an American high school, i.e., Classes 9-11 (American high schools last for 6 years, with Class 12, i.e., graduating from Form 6)
• Tuition, board and lodging : HK$140,000-800,000 per year
• Related information : List of American high schools

• Depends on the price: The tuition fees of the same type of American high schools vary greatly, and the support for students with different needs is also different, such as the intensity of English tutoring, accommodation arrangements, etc. Students are welcome to contact Wanwei to find out the American high school that is the most worthwhile for you.

• Number of students: Wanwei does not recommend schools with less than 200 students. With too few students, many services need to be outsourced, there are few subject choices, and it is difficult to find qualified teachers.

• Accommodation arrangements: The exchange program has the least control over accommodation arrangements, so parents need to pay attention! The most flexible option should be Homestay, which is suitable for students with time management and independent personality.

• Purpose of studying abroad: Students have various reasons for choosing to study abroad. If your reason for studying in the United States is to get into a world-class American university, and your academic performance, time allocation, adaptability, problem-solving, communication and learning abilities are all very competitive, we recommend that you take the Grade 9 American high school entrance exam at the beginning of Form 2, and you must apply to a top American boarding school.

If you want to switch to a more flexible education system so that you have more time to do what you like, and think that going to college will happen naturally, then choose a suitable American high school based on your study abroad time, budget and grades.

• 8 Ivy League Universities: Harvard University; Yale University; Columbia University; Brown University; Cornell University; Dartmouth College; University of Pennsylvania; Princeton University

• Their admissions are consistent with mainstream American values: When evaluating international applications… with their context and opportunities in mind. That is, the school will understand the requirements of your education system and evaluate your academic performance, and will not require everyone to

• Most importantly: What might your voice contribute? That is, based on your past contributions and pursuits outside the classroom, can you take your passion for serving others to another level through an Ivy League education?

• That is, from a technical perspective, there is no need to go to an American high school just because you want to get into an Ivy League school. As long as the students can prove that they have used their passion and talent to the fullest within the limited resources and help those in need, their influence will be greater, deeper, and higher than that of their peers. Most importantly, this small number of elites can still maintain top academic performance, diversified academic abilities and interests, and the courses and subjects they study are the most challenging within the students' reach. The problem is to develop passion to the point of helping others, and at the same time have to deal with DSE, a public exam with an average of less than 2% of 5**. Compared with getting a 7 in IB, an A* in A-level, or even American or Canadian high schools that do not have a public examination system, it is much more difficult. What would you choose? It takes time to develop your talents and to help others. Different scoring systems and the number of participants in public examinations will affect how much effort you need to put in to maintain your scores. If you are too busy studying, you will naturally have less time to participate in, manage, pursue and build extracurricular passions.

Grades 9-12, which is Form 3 to Form 6, are American high school courses, which include two elements:

• Element 1 : State government requirements. Generally, the requirements are English, mathematics, science and social studies. In some states, students can only study English after Class 10 (Form 4), and the other subjects are electives. However, whether students are required to study mathematics and science or to what level of mathematics depends on their desired university and major choice.
• Element 2 : Students who have the interest, ability and time can choose Advanced Placement (AP) college preparatory courses. The details are as follows:

Advanced Placement (AP): This is a college preparatory course. Students can choose AP courses according to their interests, abilities, and time. They do not have to start taking AP in a certain year of high school. As long as they have the abilities and interests, they can take it.

Colleges generally do not require a specific number of AP courses or subjects, because whether to take AP is a personal choice, and not all high schools offer AP.

AP exams have a 5 as the highest score. A score of 4 or above can earn you college credits, meaning you are exempt from taking freshman courses in that subject. For example, if you are majoring in economics and you have a 4 in AP Calculus, which is a required credit for economics majors in their freshman year, you do not need to take Calculus in your freshman year because you have AP Calculus.

AP Course Selection

Language

• Chinese & Culture
• English Language & Composition
• English Literature & Composition
• French & Culture
• German & Culture
• Italian & Culture
• Japanese & Culture
• Spanish & Culture

mathematics

• Calculus AB
• Calculus BC
• Pre-Calculus
• Statistics

Fine Arts

• Art History
• 2D Art & Design
• 3D Art & Design
• Drawing
• Music Theory

science

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science A
• Computer Science Principles
• Comparative Government & Politics
• Environmental Science
• Physics 1
• Physics 2
• Physics: Electricity & Magnetism
• Physics: Mechanics

Arts or social science related subjects

• European History
• Human Geography
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics
• Psychology
• US Government & Politics
• US History
• World History: Modern

AP Capstone

The AP Capstone course lasts for 2 years and focuses on training students to ask questions, research, write and debate on a topic that they are interested in. AP Capstone has two major components: Seminar and Research, with the following scopes:

• AP Capstone Seminar: Learn to find topics worth researching next year by reading, integrating, and analyzing topics of interest to you.
• AP Capstone Research: Collect research related to the research topic, analyze blind spots and usability or collect data yourself, write and publish a paper.

AP Capstone has Diploma and Certificate, and the requirements for each are as follows:

• AP Capstone Diploma: Complete the above 2 years of courses and take 4 AP courses, with all 3 completion points of 3 or above (full score of 5)
• AP Capstone Certificate: Complete the above 2-year course with 2 subjects with a score of 3 or above (full score of 5)