Cash strapped public high schools, particularly in rural areas with aging populations and dwindling economic bases, are starting to look to a new source of students, and revenue – foreign exchange. Schools in Maine, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia and Washington have all gotten in on the growing trend of recruiting tuition paying students from abroad, according to the AP’s report.
Next fall, Superintendent Ken Smith of Millinocket, Maine, hopes to have at least 60 Chinese students, each paying $13,000 in tuition and another $11,000 for room and board, at the local high school, Stearns High. Stearns used to average 700 students, but enrollment has dipped over the last few years and now it is under 200. That’s part of why Smith believes that an infusion of foreign students will help the school socially, as well as financially. He hopes that local students will benefit by being exposed to the new students from abroad, and the incoming Chinese students will also benefit being immersed in the local culture and language.
Why would a family send their high schooler to a public school in Maine with test scores that even Smith admits aren’t great? Its seen as a stepping stone to more challenging private schools and/or American universities.
“They didn’t know where Maine was, but they knew where Harvard was,” Smith told the AP. “They all want to go to Harvard.”
Public Schools like Stearns offer the chance for kids who hope to go to college in America to immerse themselves in the language and culture in the hopes of having an easier time with admissions. U.S. immigration laws make it impossible for foreign students to attend public schools for more than a year, so most of the students involved in these programs will be seniors, or will transfer to private schools after their first year.
What do you think? Is it a good idea for American public schools to recruit paying foreign students?
