Hi!
I was born in America, but I just have visited it and lived in for six months.
This August I’ll be starting my senior year but I was wondering if I could go to study in Florida my senior year. I’ve lived in Mexico and Spain. Are there any advantages/problems/exams I could struggle with if I go there? I would be living with a guardian.
You will likely have to pass the FCAT – Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test – in order to graduate from high school.
Depending on the school district’s regulations, you may not be able to get a high school diploma without some extra courses (courses in Florida/US history, for example, American literature/Government, etc.) Many European high school programs are more advanced in math and the sciences, so your education might be an advantage in that area.
If you plan on going to college, exams such as ACT and SAT – which many of your peers will be taking at the beginning of their senior year – may prove difficult, just because they’re unlike most exams in Europe. But you can attend a community college without taking those exams.
Your best option is to contact the high schools in your guardian’s district for specific enrollment and graduation information.
Thank you for the information! Really useful!
If you are not yet 18 years old on the first day of the school year, the public school will be obligated to allow you to enroll. In many states, you would be permitted to stay in a public high school until the end of the school year in which you turn 21 or until you have completed your high school graduation requirements. I do not know the policy in Florida, so ask at the public schools you would be assigned to. Private schools are allowed to set their own policies about this.
Many students who arrive from outside the US find that they need more than just one year to fulfill all of the high school graduation requirements. So don’t feel bad if you find out that you have to do that.
Okay, that sounds understandable. I’m 17 and my birthday isn’t until June, so maybe I won’t have to stay longer. Anyway, and as you said, it’s better for me to do some research on the school’s policy. Thank you for the help!
If you won’t turn 18 until next June, there would be no problem with you being able to enroll in high school here this fall. But you and your guardian should get in touch with the school you would attend immediately so that you can find out what paperwork needs to get taken care of. You will need to bring your school records, evidence of vaccinations, etc. You want to get here in time to start classes at the beginning of the school year. That will give you the best chance of graduating on time.
You are completely right, and we will contact the school as soon as possible. Thank you again!