The strong reason to pick a school with IB is that it’s a 2-year program. For a kid who’s been uprooted and has to adapt to a new town, a new language, a new culture, providing academic continuity through a program she started is important. All the better if the program is not in the most competitive school, so that she can do well and rank high right out of the gate.
The IB program has a specific curriculum and all classes cover the same content regardless of the school - if you’re in ESS or History of the Americas or Chemistry, you can leave one school and go to another, and have the same textbook, the same type of papers, the same approaches, etc.
IB courses may not be exactly the same from one high school to another, since there may be local requirements or considerations. E.g. in the US, a high school may find that it would be helpful to students if the IB math SL course were “topped off” to cover AP calculus AB as well.
^while it’s not impossible nor illegal, it’s highly unlikely; but even if it were the case, it’d still be better continuity to be in an IB program that has some added lessons, than start 12th grade in a completely different system (with no guaranteed access to APs to boot).
The US system DOES have some quirks, in that some States or districts require both English and History of the Americas at HL, which severely reduces strong STEM students’ ability to choose classes appropriate to their future major, sometimes forcing them to choose to have 4 HLs/2 SLs so that they have MathHL and another science HL.
There are also IB programs in the US where the HL offerings are limited (e.g. HL not offered in math and science, or some other subjects), so that students considering IB programs need to check that the subjects that they are strongest and most interested in are offered as HL in the IB programs.
Virginia is a great option.
It would be nice if the OP came back and answered some questions…
- Is this a court ordered legal guardianship you have...or just an arrangement with your parents?
- Will the parents be relocating to this new place as well?
- Will you and your spouse need to get new jobs if you relocate?
- Have you crunched the numbers regarding costs to relocate and paying school costs.
It sounds to me like this is all being driven by your siblings green card status…and she needs to come to this country to preserve that. But these other questions are important for YOU to answer.
A green card is not a travel document, people now spending long periods outside of the US on GCs are getting a lot of attention, an unaccompanied minor with no family domiciled in the US will be especially vulnerable when in a secondary interview. Make sure you all have your stories straight, have the reentry permit, and the GC is current.
Hi Katliamom,
Thanks for the answer! My parents will be moving with her so it shouldn’t be a problem. I have talked to some people in the past and understandably, schools won’t allow her to attend without parental presence. It’s good to know that we can move her around among school districts as we are looking a mix of competitive schools and not-so competitive schools (so that my sister can adjust more easily).
First of all, thank you all for such helpful responses! After reading all your comments, I’m overwhelmed by the responses but also other considerations for my younger sister.
Second, to address your questions (especially to helpful @thumper1 @Sybylla)
- I'm not her legal guardian. I have simply taken over her education decisions since my parents are non-English speakers and retired.
- My parents will be moving along with my younger sister. My mom is the original green card applicant therefore, my sister and I benefit from her status. Ideally, we would try to bring our dad as well.
- In terms of finances, my parents are relying on their passive income and savings to pay for housing and other living expenses. However, my parents are quite old (they had my younger sister in their early 40s) and would take care of my younger sister. We have calculated our options but still figuring out what to do for my younger's sister college. While we are trying to find a situation fitting for my younger sister, my parents are still prescribed to Ivy leagues or prestigious schools = best colleges.
- As of myself, I am currently looking for a role in the States. I used to work in California but then left to handle some of the family business. Once my sister returns to the States, I will find a job out there as a UX designer. Since I only have a boyfriend (Australia), I'm quite flexible on locations)
*also please ignore my comment above - it was my failed attempt to try to edit the answer
Thank you for your answers.
Here is my suggestion…move to a state where the public universities are plentiful…and top notch. My suggestions would be North Carolina (UNC, NC State, UNC campuses all over, for starters), Virginia (Lots of excellent public options there), maybe Texas.
I don’t know the “rules” for Bright Futures…how long you need to reside in FL to qualify…but maybe @twoinanddone can clarify that.
I mention these because the costs to live in these states would likely be more affordable than some other places. Having an affordable public college option isn’t a bad thing. Your sister can still apply elsewhere, but those instate publics have the potential to be more affordable.
California has a lot of great public universities…but the cost to live there is very high.
Another possibility is New York. The SUNY system is very modestly priced, and if you don’t live in the great NYC area, it could be affordable.
- Those are really great considerations. I didn't really think about IB program. While my younger sister's current school does provide IB, I figured she would just enroll into an AP program once she is in a public high school.
- We actually considered more "big fish in small pool vs large pool" for our younger sister. Since her academics are above average (SSAT: 2127 / 80% percentile), we figured putting her into a smaller school with supports would benefit her more. In terms of dealing with privileged communities, my sister had her fair share in her international school. She attends an intl in South East Asia and constantly interacts with kids of head of investment banks and govt officials.
- This is absolutely fantastic advice, I will look more into it.
Thank you!
- My parents are now retired and quite flexible in terms of moving around. Since my mother is the primary applicant of our green card - she has to return along with my sister. Financially, they are relying on their passive income and savings.
- We are definitely considering more the states that have in-state tuition. While we can afford to send her into private universities, we like having an option to pay for public schools tuition.
- Unfortunately, I'm not her legal guardian. My parents are getting old and are not English-speakers so I do most of the research on behalf of my parents.
- I will go back to the states and start looking for jobs again. I took some time off to take care of family business at home but hopefully, I will get a new job soon.
Thanks for replying!
If your parents were in their early 40’s when your sister was born and she’s still in high school, they hardly qualify as “quite old.” 
Your sister can switch public schools but your parents would have to move into the district.
For your mother’s sake, look for a community that has good support for her. This does not necessarily mean that there should be a large number of immigrants from her own country or language group, but rather that she has good access to English language instruction, public transportation (if she doesn’t have a car), and activities that interest her. Otherwise she will be overly dependent on you and your younger sister for everyday life. This will create imbalances in the family relationships, and will make it harder on your younger sister when it is time to go away (if she does go away) for college.
Not to be too nosy here, but how did she get the Green Card? If it is through a family member, then would it make best sense to live somewhat close to that relative? That might make her adjustment easier.
So your parents are entering on a lottery GC? They can afford to live in the US and get health insurance? But not work? Did you state how long they have been absent from the USA?? And you too. You should pay attention to how absence will not only affect reentry but your path to citizenship. If citizenship is a priority pay attention to how GC holders are being subjected to protracted waiting periods, reentry scrutiny and deportation for seemingly arbitrary offences.
I’m a green card holder who travels fairly frequently and have faced no issues on re-entry, and most don’t. Waiting periods for naturalization depend on city the person is in, and people don’t get deported for arbitrary things, only for particular crimes.not sure why all this scare mongering here. The OP and family are presumably aware of the residence requirements hence they are all returning. Not sure this is the forum to question their financial decisions, and as green card holders any of them can get jobs if they find themselves needing more cash. Green card holders are eligible for federal college financing, work study programs etc too.
Back to the actual topic of high school: one thing to raise is to be sure your sister brings a copy of the vaccination worksheet done for the green card medical as she will need that for school enrollment (it’s much easier understood than any national vaccination card). A transfer report from her existing school might be useful too, international schools are used to doing these.
I looked very quickly at a Massachusetts link of IB diploma programs at public schools. Several were actually charter schools. I don’t know all of these schools in particular but in general charter schools may not take new students in every grade and may be by lottery so moving there is no guarantee of getting into the school.
Yes the steps are
- identifying all public IB schools in a state of interest and checking they offer the child’s IB subjects
- contacting school to see if a legal resident currently abroad in an IB school can finish up her program and directly enroll in IB for 12th grade. It’ll immediately eliminate schools as a good number of schools will say it’s not possible or will state “only if”+ conditions.
Once all possibilities have been identified, decide on state, city, etc.
travels fairly frequently and have faced no issues on re-entry, <<<<<<<<<
Travel is totally different from not living in the USA, it seems that none of this family currently lives in the USA. The question about how long the absence is is key. OP indicate the kid needs to be in the USA for her GC status so it is fair to assume that this IS an issue now. One ornery CBP officer is all it takes to create a problem if the child is the only English speaker giving truthful answers about where she lives.
Yes, and you said above they are lottery winners, if they are it is very common to get the green cards (time limit to do that is quick), go back home to finalize everything (it sounds like these people have means and it takes time to effect house and asset sales etc), and then make the “big move” anywhere from 3-11 months later. One absence of that length really isn’t an issue. Been there done that and know a number of other families who have too. They may even have re+entry permits for all we know. There are also dedicated immigration forums full of discussions around these issues.