High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

driftingranger2 said:I've been grinding away at German for four years now and I’m still barely scraping by with the basics. It feels like nobody puts in the work; most people I know are just coasting with a 2.0 GPA.

Well, I didn't sign my daughter up for elective German because the schedule here in our district is just... poorly planned. It's in a completely different block than her other classes. Computer Science is also in a conflicting slot, and since she actually wants to take that, there wasn't much choice. Between that and her sports practices, I just figured it would be way too much for her to handle—it might have been overkill, I guess. Besides, she never really expressed any interest in it herself.
A friend of mine teaches English and another foreign language, and she mentioned that the general guidance—or at least the recommendation—in middle schools is to give encouraging grades for electives, regardless of what the student actually knows.
But now that my daughter has suddenly decided she's dead set on attending a competitive prep school, I'm starting to second-guess everything. I'm wondering what happens with that second language requirement, and if I made a mistake by skipping it. Will kids who stuck with it for all four years have a massive advantage over her? I suppose it's hard to say.

driftingranger2 said:I've been grinding away at German for four years now and I’m still barely scraping by with the basics. It feels like nobody puts in the work; most people I know are just coasting with a 2.0 GPA.

Same thing happened with my kid in elementary school. I heard about it ahead of time, so I just told them not to even bother signing up for the class. It’s not surprising that kids pick beginner German in high school when they already know they learned basically nothing in middle school.
From what I can tell—and I only know a few examples—most US high schools won't let advanced students take the beginner track if there's another option available. If a school offers two electives but one is blocked off, it doesn't really feel like much of an elective choice, I guess.

mellowskipper said:Well, I didn't sign my daughter up for elective German because the schedule here in our district is just... poorly planned. It's in a completely different block than her other classes. Computer Science is also in a conflicting slot, and since she actually wants to take that, there wasn't much choice. Between that and her sports practices, I just figured it would be way too much for her to handle—it might have been overkill, I guess. Besides, she never really expressed any interest in it herself.
A friend of mine teaches English and another foreign language, and she mentioned that the general guidance—or at least the recommendation—in middle schools is to give encouraging grades for electives, regardless of what the student actually knows.
But now that my daughter has suddenly decided she's dead set on attending a competitive prep school, I'm starting to second-guess everything. I'm wondering what happens with that second language requirement, and if I made a mistake by skipping it. Will kids who stuck with it for all four years have a massive advantage over her? I suppose it's hard to say.

Not really. She won't be at a disadvantage, I guess. She could always just check which electives that specific school offers. It doesn't even have to be a language course.

stormymarlin22 said:Not really. She won't be at a disadvantage, I guess. She could always just check which electives that specific school offers. It doesn't even have to be a language course.

It's a general public high school. I believe a second language is mandatory there.
But I suppose I'll look into it regardless.

stormymarlin22 said:Same thing happened with my kid in elementary school. I heard about it ahead of time, so I just told them not to even bother signing up for the class. It’s not surprising that kids pick beginner German in high school when they already know they learned basically nothing in middle school.
From what I can tell—and I only know a few examples—most US high schools won't let advanced students take the beginner track if there's another option available. If a school offers two electives but one is blocked off, it doesn't really feel like much of an elective choice, I guess.

Look, is it really that difficult to grasp that a second language in high school isn't actually an elective?🙂
Maybe try understanding the distinction between mandatory, elective, and optional courses... before you start bashing schools that aren't actually giving these poor kids a "choice" to begin with? 🙄

Sarah Hall53 said:Look, I’m telling you—here’s how this plays out. They won't even bother putting it on his record in elementary school just so he doesn't end up having to deal with anything more than the bare minimum once he hits high school...

edit:
I mean, I’ve seen a few cases where kids were placed in advanced tracks after spending five years struggling with the basics. They basically spent the first two years of high school sleeping through class and somehow coasted with a B, which felt fine at first—but then everything falls apart. Seriously, by junior year, they start hitting you with actual concepts that weren't even remotely touched upon back in middle school! 😲 And there you are, still sleeping through class and expecting an easy A. Well, guess what? That's when the state steps in and hands you a D. 😛

Sarah Hall53 said:First off, I wasn't "reveling" in it. You're only throwing that at me because you have this habit of twisting everything the local "experts" on this forum say—as if we’re all just monsters who somehow hate kids and parents.☕

Look, I said it and I still believe it: taking an introductory language course after five years of study is just taking the path of least resistance—it's laziness. If we weren't talking about a language but math, and someone finished Pythagoras, squares, and square roots, then decided to skip ahead and just learn multiplication tables from scratch, wouldn't you call that lazy too?

And thirdly—yes, the old curriculum for a second foreign language in high school was designed so that you'd hit A2 level by the middle of junior year, and then, magically, jump to B1 within another year and a half. Basically, things that were NOT being covered in elementary school.
It’s the same logic as if you studied German from first through third grade, then switched to an elective in fourth, slept through fifth and sixth based on what you learned when you were little, and then got a massive, uncomfortable wake-up call in seventh grade.

Man, honestly... sticking your tongue out like that? It’s mostly just being a little brat, isn't it?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: choosing an entry-level language after spending five years studying something else is just taking the path of least resistance. Honestly, isn't that just a bit of laziness? Think about it this way—if you were studying mathematics instead of linguistics, and after mastering Pythagoras, squaring numbers, and square roots, you suddenly decided to go back to the very beginning just to relearn multiplication tables... wouldn't you call that lazy too?

And then there was that third part—the old curriculum for second foreign languages back in high school. It actually laid out this ambitious roadmap where you’d hit the A2 level by around the middle of your junior year, and then, like some kind of academic magic trick, jump all the way to B1 within another year and a half. It was one of those things they just didn't bother covering during middle school.
...

Taking the path of least resistance—especially when it comes to things that simply don't matter to you—doesn't make you lazy. Honestly, I think it’s actually a sign of intelligence. Why waste all your precious energy banging your head against a wall over something trivial? It’s much smarter to just step aside and save that mental bandwidth for the stuff that actually counts.
It seems like you were just getting started with your thought on the election process! It looks like the message cut off right at "election and..." I'm genuinely curious to see where you were heading with that. Were you going to dive into the impact of recent polling, or perhaps some thoughts on how the voting infrastructure is holding up? I always find these political discussions fascinating, even when they get a bit heavy. Please, do continue whenever you have a moment—I'd love to hear your full take on the situation.
Honestly, he just doesn't care. It’s not even worth bringing up to him.

So, I’m trying to wrap my head around this curriculum logic. Is introductory German in high school really just the absolute basics, or is it actually a grueling grind where they expect students to jump from A2 to B1 in just eighteen months? You've got to pick a lane here!

My kids were sitting there in fourth grade, just staring blankingly at me, and they didn't have the slightest clue what "Nimm die Kreide" even meant. It was one of those moments where you realize just how much of a generational gap exists between us! ☕

Chill out 🙂 I totally forgot that in private high schools it’s an elective, but I guess it’s mandatory in public ones.

stormymarlin22 said:Chill out 🙂 I totally forgot that in private high schools it’s an elective, but I guess it’s mandatory in public ones.

Generally speaking, all high schools require two foreign languages, including the STEM ones; the only real difference is how they schedule the classes.

urbantinker8 said:I’m honestly not sure if there’s an official federal registry or some kind of database listing schools where the primary language isn't English. But those institutions definitely exist, and I really hope we see more of them popping up in the future.
It’s a bit unfortunate that we seem to be starting from such different premises here. It feels like everyone else (both in this thread and in the real world, I suppose) is hyper-focused on nothing but GPA and taking the path of least resistance, whereas what I’m actually talking about is the mastery of two distinct languages. In my opinion, being truly bilingual is infinitely more vital for the average person navigating today's world than being able to solve linear equations, understanding limits, redox reactions, or vectors—not to mention memorizing the dates of every major battle in history, recognizing Bach fugues, or knowing how to perform a fantastic leap from a standstill.
To be honest, I couldn't care less about a grade on a transcript. I'm talking about actual knowledge. But then again, I am fully aware of the era we're living in, so I realize that this whole perspective of mine probably isn't anything groundbreaking to you all.

Why do you think everyone is so fixated on grades?
It's not because I'm one of those people, but I truly believe that a parent who genuinely cares about their child's learning will choose a specialized language academy over just picking an elective at a local public school.
From schools lowering standards just to prevent kids from dropping out (which people have been openly discussing here), to the issues with afternoon shifts, or how everything was exclusively online during the pandemic (which was questionable at best)... plus, if we already know the vibe of a classroom—like if certain students' behavior slows down the whole lesson—it makes more sense to look for a different group or a different school elsewhere if possible, even if it means paying extra... kind of like how we pay for private healthcare services. 🤷
(The idea that a school should provide everything is nice in theory, but it's just hard to pull off in reality)

If that weren't the case, why would private tutoring and language courses even exist?
And then there's this bizarre situation: a kid who actually knows and loves a language, and wants to study it in High School, can't take advanced classes if it's not officially on their transcript—they're forced into beginner levels instead. Meanwhile, the kids who *do* have it on their transcripts are expected to jump straight into advanced levels regardless of their actual skill level when they get to High School.

And if a certain generation of kids enters with just enough points to scrape by, but didn't study the language in Middle School, preventing an advanced class from forming, the solution seems to be shoving them into a different language class 😕
just so they don't sit there bored in class, or letting them waste a whole year staring at the clock because they got stuck in a generation that had to start from scratch.

Anthony Ward6 said:Generally speaking, all high schools require two foreign languages, including the STEM ones; the only real difference is how they schedule the classes.

Not really. In those specialized prep schools, foreign language is an elective, so if you don't pick it, you aren't learning two.

Anthony Ward6 said:Generally speaking, all high schools require two foreign languages, including the STEM ones; the only real difference is how they schedule the classes.

Standard high schools usually require two foreign languages (one for 3 hours a week and the other for 2).
Language academies require two foreign languages as well, but with more intensity—usually 4 hours for one and 3 for the other, or sometimes 4 hours a week right from freshman year.
STEM-focused tracks vary depending on whether they focus on advanced math or computer science, but they always require at least one language.
If the student isn't taking advanced math or computer science, then they end up with two foreign languages, typically 2 hours each per week.

The specific languages students can choose for their primary or secondary requirements depend on what faculty members with permanent contracts specialize in. Because of this, you'll see quite a bit of variation between different schools.

Some schools even offer elective courses, which means you can pick up additional languages if you're interested.

driftingranger2 said:I've been grinding away at German for four years now and I’m still barely scraping by with the basics. It feels like nobody puts in the work; most people I know are just coasting with a 2.0 GPA.

German has always been a struggle for students, including my generation—we basically learned nothing. The language is inherently complicated, we aren't exposed to it in our daily lives, and honestly, the teachers didn't really know it well enough to actually teach us. It was bound to be a mess when they tried to set up advanced and college-prep tracks back in High School.

Anthony Ward6 said:German has always been a struggle for students, including my generation—we basically learned nothing. The language is inherently complicated, we aren't exposed to it in our daily lives, and honestly, the teachers didn't really know it well enough to actually teach us. It was bound to be a mess when they tried to set up advanced and college-prep tracks back in High School.

Yeah, true. Back in the day, I had German as my primary language in elementary school and always did great, so I hit a wall in High School because I was totally lost. It wasn't easy, since you can't just catch up on a whole language overnight.

Susan James said:Why do you think everyone is so fixated on grades?
It's not because I'm one of those people, but I truly believe that a parent who genuinely cares about their child's learning will choose a specialized language academy over just picking an elective at a local public school.
From schools lowering standards just to prevent kids from dropping out (which people have been openly discussing here), to the issues with afternoon shifts, or how everything was exclusively online during the pandemic (which was questionable at best)... plus, if we already know the vibe of a classroom—like if certain students' behavior slows down the whole lesson—it makes more sense to look for a different group or a different school elsewhere if possible, even if it means paying extra... kind of like how we pay for private healthcare services. 🤷
(The idea that a school should provide everything is nice in theory, but it's just hard to pull off in reality)

If that weren't the case, why would private tutoring and language courses even exist?
And then there's this bizarre situation: a kid who actually knows and loves a language, and wants to study it in High School, can't take advanced classes if it's not officially on their transcript—they're forced into beginner levels instead. Meanwhile, the kids who *do* have it on their transcripts are expected to jump straight into advanced levels regardless of their actual skill level when they get to High School.

And if a certain generation of kids enters with just enough points to scrape by, but didn't study the language in Middle School, preventing an advanced class from forming, the solution seems to be shoving them into a different language class 😕
just so they don't sit there bored in class, or letting them waste a whole year staring at the clock because they got stuck in a generation that had to start from scratch.

Yeah, everyone is fixated on grades; you don't even need to try to convince me otherwise since I've spent far too long working within the American education system.☕
Sure, they could learn a language outside of school, why not? (though, I guess, that's often motivated by trying to escape the grading system too—why not just use that free seventh period at your own school instead of paying to go somewhere else late at night?) 🤔)
But fine, I support it, because any bit of foreign language knowledge is a great bonus in life. 😍
And by the way, schools actually do offer placement exams for anyone who wants to take advanced tracks but doesn't have the language on their previous record, but those students are so rare that it’s almost like nobody even knows those tests exist. 😉
Because, well, I guess it's all just about "coasting to an A." 😵

urbantinker8 said:Yeah, everyone is fixated on grades; you don't even need to try to convince me otherwise since I've spent far too long working within the American education system.☕
Sure, they could learn a language outside of school, why not? (though, I guess, that's often motivated by trying to escape the grading system too—why not just use that free seventh period at your own school instead of paying to go somewhere else late at night?) 🤔)
But fine, I support it, because any bit of foreign language knowledge is a great bonus in life. 😍
And by the way, schools actually do offer placement exams for anyone who wants to take advanced tracks but doesn't have the language on their previous record, but those students are so rare that it’s almost like nobody even knows those tests exist. 😉
Because, well, I guess it's all just about "coasting to an A." 😵

I've come across this on several high school websites regarding admissions, so I decided to dig through the official bylaws and district policies. In last year's enrollment policy, it states this:

(4) If a specific foreign language proficiency is a requirement for admission at a particular high school, but the student did not study that language during middle school, the high school admissions committee is required—upon a written request from the student—to verify their proficiency in that language, and the school must document this process in an official report.

stormymarlin22 said:Not really. In those specialized prep schools, foreign language is an elective, so if you don't pick it, you aren't learning two.

I think you mean two instead of three—don't forget they still have mandatory Latin in those programs! 😁
Some STEM tracks offer a choice between beginner and advanced levels, some focus heavily on the native language without a second foreign tongue, and others have tracks where a second language is only available at the advanced level...

In any case, I really think there's a clear advantage to skipping the language classes offered by the school district and choosing a private language academy instead because
- you can start right from the first grade
- the classes are smaller, which means much more focused attention on the students (even if things even out later when kids drop off, the academy groups stay tighter than public school classes)
- there's no pressure regarding grades or worrying about dragging down a GPA
- the scheduling is much more flexible than what the school offers
- if your child just hits a wall or loses interest, you can stop whenever you want without the academic fallout
- if you aren't happy with the instructor, you can simply switch academies and get a new teacher
- if they decide to pursue it in high school, they can take a placement test; if they decide they're over it, they can choose the beginner track or just opt for something else entirely😁

The only real downside is the cost.

Despite all those advantages people list, I suppose for most, the biggest motivator is still just avoiding being graded on foreign languages in school.
but whatever.
Like I said before—it’s not that I have anything against them, really.
It just seems incredibly silly to me to have an eight-year-old paying for German classes as part of their school curriculum, only to then have to support them or, even worse, push them to start learning it all over again from scratch once they hit high school.
Because clearly, actual knowledge and meaningful progress don't matter at all; it’s much more important to just chase a perfect GPA, right?😵😵😵
If that isn't just plain foolish, then I honestly don't know what is.

I’m certainly not trying to push anyone’s hand here, but if she decided to go with a starter model, I wouldn't dream of judging her for it. Honestly, I started out with exactly the same thing and I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything at all. It would feel incredibly hypocritical of me to say otherwise...

I’m not trying to single anyone out here, because frankly, I don't know you all personally, nor is it really my business what you choose to do regarding how you teach your kids a second language.
I suppose I'm just offering my own perspective, which is really just based on having spent quite a few years observing how these things tend to play out.
I’m mostly thinking about the average student attending an American prep school, rather than children with learning disabilities or special needs, for whom even a single foreign language might feel like a bit much to juggle.
In my view, being proficient in at least two foreign languages should probably be considered the bare minimum for anyone aiming for a high level of education, especially since most people head off to some kind of college or university after they finish high school anyway.

That’s certainly one way to look at it.
From what I’ve seen, being proficient in English isn't just some extra perk—for a lot of people, it’s actually plenty to get by. Even our public school system seems to agree; you don't even see a second foreign language required in all the high schools, let alone as a mandatory requirement for getting into a state university.

On the flip side, though, not knowing English definitely creates more hurdles when it comes to your career, job opportunities, or even just continuing your education...