Need school advice - moving (close) to Santa Clara (August: fit in, lease)

[ShankarC]

Greetings all,

I plan to relocate to Santa Clara over the next 2-3 months from India. This has come up all of a sudden due to business reasons and therefore the timing from a school perspective may not be very favorable. I am doing some online research but it has not been very easy given that I am not familiar with the american school system. I have a son who has just entered the 9th grade (he will be turning 14 years this August). I had some specific questions that I am still seeking answers to and would appreciate any help!

1. Is an immunization record a must for school admissions? It is quite possible that the immunization card
we have may edits in a local language. Does this mean that we may need a notarized copy translated to
English?

2. Given that it is going to be a sudden move for my son, I am seriously thinking about having him sit through the 8th grade again, rather than the 9th grade. The reasoning is that it will give him some time to get used to the context here while he goes over familiar material and has more time to pick up other essentials that are totally new to him (e.g. social studies, cultural mores etc). Is this possible? Can he repeat 8th grade here even though he has graduated from 8th grade in India?

3. My idea was to identify school districts based on some considerations (# of schools, rankings, ...) and then identify potential schools and figure out a place to stay. Hopefully the area I end up picking will have a number of decent options so that there is a good chance for him to land a seat at some worthwhile place, even if it is not our preferred school. But, what does the admission really depend on? Other than the lease document?
- Would there be an entrance test? A standardized test that he can take from India?
- Would it be a challenge to get a seat in a middle school (8th grade)?
- Given that we may land in the US sometime in August (earliest would be July last week), would it be
too late for school admissions (not sure if these things are seasonal in nature as they are in India)
- How much budget should we keep aside per year for his schooling for the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade?

I'd think I'd be able to afford a rent of around 2.5K per month.

Thank you!

Shankar/-

[comingbacktocali]

i won't be able to answer all of your questions but i can provide a start and some background.

schools here start in late august and run until early june. generally, when kids enter school in kindergarten they need to be 5 years old by sept 1 (although for your child's age i believe the age cut off was dec 1 years ago). so, a child turning 14 should be entering 9th grade here. it is not unheard of to hold a child back when they have a birthday near the cut off date (postponing kindergarten by a year). therefore, having a child turning 14 but entering 8th grade is not unusual so i don't think there would be an issue, especially if you had reason to believe an extra year or a repeat year would be beneficial.

being assigned a PUBLIC school depends on your legal address regardless if you rent or own a home. here, schools are divided into districts generally by city (although larger cities have more than 1 district). for the most part, you will go to the school zoned to your neighborhood but if there is overcrowding this might not be true. you may be sent to another school within your district.

generally speaking there are no entrance exams to get into public schools. however, if coming from a different country there may be information i am not aware of. call the school districts you may be entering and get more information directly from them.

public schools are free of charge. also, you can not be refused entrance into your district.

immunization records will be required. i'm sorry but i can't fully answer the rest of that question. again, call the district office.

private schools are a different story - a private high school can be as much as $40,000/year. yes, i wrote that correctly. private schools have an involved application and selection process.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I can't answer the school questions. But, I wanted to mention that holding your son back a year may be difficult for him socially. Children tend to think someone who repeats a grade or who is a year older than the other kids - is stupid. They will wonder what's wrong with him. He will be thought of as an oddity. And kids can be so cruel and cliquish. So, I advise you to put him in 9th grade, and get him tutors who can help him before and/or after school.

For tutors, you might want to check with the international student department on the Santa Clara University Campus:

Santa Clara University - Student Life -International Students & Scholars

Just another thought - if there are problems getting your son into the public schools for whatever reason, you might check into private schools.

Welcome to CA :-)

[comingbacktocali]

but the kids would have no idea he was repeating 8th grade. it's not like they went to school with him.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by comingbacktocali

but the kids would have no idea he was repeating 8th grade. it's not like they went to school with him.

Kids talk. And they'd wonder why he was a year older. I can remember having older kids in class with me, and they were not treated well and/or they acted out. He'll fit in better if he's the same age as the other kids. The social life of a kid is difficult enough as it is. Why not make it as easy for him to fit in as possible?

[ShankarC]

Thank you, appreciate your responses! Making sure that my kid settles in well is definitely a priority, which is why I was thinking whether it made sense for him to have a repeat year (have heard some talk about how hard and hectic the high school years are compared to middle school) but it did not occur to me that it could actually be held against him. Thanks for that comment! How different/more challenging is getting a seat after the start of a school year as opposed to getting this all done well in time (say by April-June)? Asking this because there is a chance that the move may happen sometime in August and that could be cutting it really close..I am thinking that there might be some exception processing involved but have no idea what the overheads are like. Will get in touch with some school districts this week but it is always helpful to hear from folks who can give some extra insights

[comingbacktocali]

Public schools must take any child,regardless of the time of year they enter the district.

[ShankarC]

that's music to my ears comingbacktocali :-) thanks!

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by ShankarC

Thank you, appreciate your responses! Making sure that my kid settles in well is definitely a priority, which is why I was thinking whether it made sense for him to have a repeat year (have heard some talk about how hard and hectic the high school years are compared to middle school) but it did not occur to me that it could actually be held against him. Thanks for that comment! How different/more challenging is getting a seat after the start of a school year as opposed to getting this all done well in time (say by April-June)? Asking this because there is a chance that the move may happen sometime in August and that could be cutting it really close..I am thinking that there might be some exception processing involved but have no idea what the overheads are like. Will get in touch with some school districts this week but it is always helpful to hear from folks who can give some extra insights

If you establish residency eligibility in a public school district, they are obliged to enroll your child at a school in the district. However, this does not guarantee your child a spot in your neighborhood school - if there is no space available, he/she may go to another campus in the same district.

[ShankarC]

thank you silverkris and everyone else for all the helpful clarifications! will try and contact the school districts sometime this week to get the specifics.