Getting to know the California school system can be challenging no matter where you're coming from, but it's very important that you find out as much as you can about it if you intend to send your kids to school here.    We've covered the following topics on this page : Choosing a School, Private Schools and the Low-Down on High Schools. 

But first a few general basics:

1. There is no national educational system or curriculum in the US. Instead each state has a Department of Education which decides on the guidelines for schools in that state. Each state also has several school districts, governed by a school board, who are usually residents elected by the local community. Most funding for schools comes from local property taxes.
2. The school year usually runs from late August until mid-June and is made up of terms or semesters. These run from late August until December, January to March and March to the end of the year. Students usually get four days vacation at Thanksgiving, end November, two weeks over Christmas and New Year, a week's ?Winter Break? week in February and another week's ?Spring Break? in April.
3. There are three different schools your child will go to:
   1. Elementary school from age 5 - 11 (grades K - 5)
   2. Middle School from age 12 - 14 (grades 6 - 8)
   3. High School from age 15 - 18 (grades 9 - 12)
4. And these terms are used instead of grades for high school students:
   1. Freshman - grade 9
   2. Sophmore - grade 10
   3. Junior - grade 11
   4. Senior - grade 12
5. You will need to show proof of immunization against diphtheria, measles, polio, rubella, tetanus, pertussis, mumps and hepatitis B before your child can enter school so bring any medical documents with you, don't pack them separately. Go to the Immunization Branch of the California Department of Public Health to check on your exact requirements.
6. Public school children do not wear uniforms.

Choosing a School

Schools in California are probably different from where you're relocating from in other ways.

First of all, they just look different. Because of the warm climate here, classroom doors exit straight onto the playground, lunch is often eaten outside and there are no corridors.

Secondly, there is a difference in the school system especially with entry requirements to the public schools. I cannot stress enough how important it is to do your school research well before you move here. If you're looking at public schools, find out where you may want to live - check out the schools - and get an address as soon as possible in that area. Once you have found a home, either rented or bought, it can be very hard to move to another school.

Many schools classes fill up very quickly at the beginning of the school year (end August) and you cannot register your child in that school until you have proof of address i.e. you are actually living there. Moving during the school year can often mean that your child will be bussed to another school until a place comes up in your local school. More and more families are moving into ?good school? areas so full classes in those schools is an ever increasing problem.

Another word of advice - don't use the school test score results as the only criteria for choosing a school. We all want our children to have a great education, but you know your child. Do you want them to be in a class of high achievers, where anything less than an A is a disappointment to them and their parents? Competition for college places has become so fierce over the past few years which filters down through high school, middle school and even elementary school. Consequently, many parents who are concerned about getting their kids into good colleges, focus purely on academics, hiring tutors after school, creating stress and pressure on their kids who fail to achieve constant A's.

So think about other criteria - mix of nationalities, size of classes (public school mandates that K through 3rd grade have a maximum of 20 kids, 4th and 5th grade 32 kids), strong PTA, parent involvement, fund-raising events etc.

And visit the school, talk to the principal, look at the classrooms with your children. Go to the local school district and find out where the relevant borders are for the various schools you like so you choose a home within those borders. A common mistake with families relocating to Silicon Valley is renting a home in one school district and then finding a home to buy in a different school district, which means moving their kids to a different school, creating more upheaval for the children.

You can get information on California schools, including a school directory and Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) results of individual schools by going to the California Department of Education Website.  GreatSchools is also a very comprehensive website on schools nationwide.

Check out the US Department of Education, if you have any questions about the education system eg What is the No Child Left Behind Act, how are schools ranked, what financial aid is available for colleges? There are sections for parents, teachers and students with many useful topics that will help you sift through the educational maze before you get here.

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Private Schools

If you are interested in your child attending a private school, you have a wide selection to choose from in Silicon Valley. Where you live does not matter, there are no restricted boundaries for private schools. It is still very difficult to get in some of the top private schools and once you have picked your school, get on the waiting list as soon as possible if there is one.

The largest private school system in this area is the Catholic School. All races and creeds are welcome but if schools are full, preference is obviously given first to Catholic children from families active in the parish. Most parents send their kids to Catholic schools for religious reasons but there are also academic and disciplinary factors taken into account.

There are also a number of international schools in Silicon Valley which can be of interest to parents who are only staying in California for a limited time.

The Low-Down on High Schools

High school gets complicated. A student can choose his classes, but must fulfill high school requirements at the same time in order to graduate. . If he or she wants to go to college, there are also further requirements which are fairly universal: 4 years of English, 3 years of math, 2-3 years of science, 3 years of social science, a year of art, and 2 years of the same foreign language.

College course requirements should be the least of your worries, because there are SATs, ACTs, APs, and extra-curriculars to think about. When students apply for a college, the college look at the student's grade-point average (GPA) and SAT or ACT test score. Every student must take either the SAT or ACT if they want to apply to college. There are numerous ways to prepare for these future-determining tests : practice tests, prep courses, and an endless amount of study books are available.

The PSAT is one practice test which can also qualify a student for a National Merit Scholarship. However, there is a difference between the SAT and the ACT, but both are regarded equally by most colleges. The ACT focuses more on what students learn in school and is more straight-forward. It is scored out of 36. The SAT is full of vocabulary words and tries to trick students on questions. Part of the test itself is figuring out what the questions are asking. The SAT is scored out of 2400. It is recommended that students take both tests in order to determine which they excel at. Another test that quite a few colleges require is the SAT II subject test. This test focuses on specific subjects such as math, biology, Spanish, etc. If required, most colleges ask for at least 2 of them.

AP (Advanced Placement) courses are also very important for a college career. These are college-level courses available to high schoolers. At the end of each school year, students can take an AP test to get credit for colleges. However, there are colleges that don't accept AP scores for any credits at all. Different schools offer different AP courses. Courses can range from Environmental Science to European History to Calculus AB. AP courses are challenging, but rewarding.

Other types of courses offered in high schools include honors courses. As do AP courses, the student gains one extra grade point for honors classes. In a regular class an A, the highest grade possible, is equal to 4 points, a B, 3 points, a C, 2 points, a D, 1point, and a F has no point value and is considered failing. However, in AP courses or honors courses, colleges consider an A to be 5 points, a B to be 4 points, and so forth. Good GPAs are 4.0, but with honors and AP classes, they can be higher.

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Useful Information:

• Santa Clara County School District Locator. Here you can type in your street address to find out what school your kids will go to in Santa Clara County.
• School Districts in Santa Clara County
• California Department of Education
• United States Department of Education
• Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) from the California Dept of Education
• School Accountability Progress Report (APR) from the California Dept of Education