A question about the actual students at Thomas Jefferson for anyone who has actually met them:

[Anonymous]

In your educated opinion .... what percentage of the entering TJ kids would you say moved to the United States only within the last year or so? And, is this becoming more common?

Put another way, what percentage of successful applicants do most of their preparation in another country (their native country), then move to the US just before application season begins? ie, in enough time to get a legitimate written recommendation from that year's teacher, as is required, but having spent most of the first 13.5 years of life in _[name of foreign country here]___
I can read the published demographic stats just like you can, so I'm not asking to be pointed to mere numbers (such as, 'this year, 66% of the entering class is Asian.')

[Anonymous]

Is it possible to get this information from the the admissions office with a FOI request?

[Anonymous]

How is it relevant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In your educated opinion .... what percentage of the entering TJ kids would you say moved to the United States only within the last year or so? And, is this becoming more common?

Put another way, what percentage of successful applicants do most of their preparation in another country (their native country), then move to the US just before application season begins? ie, in enough time to get a legitimate written recommendation from that year's teacher, as is required, but having spent most of the first 13.5 years of life in _[name of foreign country here]___
I can read the published demographic stats just like you can, so I'm not asking to be pointed to mere numbers (such as, 'this year, 66% of the entering class is Asian.')

Many of the Korean students there aren't actually US citizens and are only here to attend TJ.

The mother is sent here with the kids while the father stays in Korea, and the family returns to Korea in the summer time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In your educated opinion .... what percentage of the entering TJ kids would you say moved to the United States only within the last year or so? And, is this becoming more common?

Put another way, what percentage of successful applicants do most of their preparation in another country (their native country), then move to the US just before application season begins? ie, in enough time to get a legitimate written recommendation from that year's teacher, as is required, but having spent most of the first 13.5 years of life in _[name of foreign country here]___
I can read the published demographic stats just like you can, so I'm not asking to be pointed to mere numbers (such as, 'this year, 66% of the entering class is Asian.')

Many of the Korean students there aren't actually US citizens and are only here to attend TJ.

The mother is sent here with the kids while the father stays in Korea, and the family returns to Korea in the summer time.

This is shocking. I had no idea that my tax money was being used this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In your educated opinion .... what percentage of the entering TJ kids would you say moved to the United States only within the last year or so? And, is this becoming more common?

Put another way, what percentage of successful applicants do most of their preparation in another country (their native country), then move to the US just before application season begins? ie, in enough time to get a legitimate written recommendation from that year's teacher, as is required, but having spent most of the first 13.5 years of life in _[name of foreign country here]___
I can read the published demographic stats just like you can, so I'm not asking to be pointed to mere numbers (such as, 'this year, 66% of the entering class is Asian.')

Many of the Korean students there aren't actually US citizens and are only here to attend TJ.

The mother is sent here with the kids while the father stays in Korea, and the family returns to Korea in the summer time.

This is shocking. I had no idea that my tax money was being used this way.

I've known foreign people who go to New York state, say they don't have any money (although usually it is the opposite... they're rich), and then get free prenatal care and have their babies for free in the U.S. This kind of stuff is unbelievably common.

[Anonymous]

The immigration mess is worse than I imagined.

[Anonymous]

Most of the TJ kids I've known have been biracial American citizens, born and raised in the US. I know one kid who lived abroad until he was 10, when his whole family emigrated permanently (not from Asia). I don't, of course, know a cross-section of kids.

I do know a couple of people who taught there. One told me that she had chaperoned a field trip to the monuments on the Mall, and was shocked to discover how many of her students, who lived ten miles from the Lincoln Memorial, had never been there.

[Anonymous]

The mother is sent here with the kids while the father stays in Korea, and the family returns to Korea in the summer time.


This is shocking. I had no idea that my tax money was being used this way.

That's kind of why the question is being asked.

I'm not sure how I feel about these highly, highly coveted slots being given to foreign nationals, vs. permanent residents and/or citizens of the United States.

[Anonymous]

...looked like at least 30% very recent arrivals.

[Anonymous]

Since when do have to be a citizen to go to a public school?

[Anonymous]

If there is one or two kids like that, I wouldn't be surprised. But if there are more than that, I would be concerned. However if they do pass essay writing test, I don't know how you can tell during application process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since when do have to be a citizen to go to a public school?

A permanent resident alien should be a minimum.

Giving extremely limited public school spots to a visitor who holds a passport in another country? Is that really good policy? I'm open to hearing a good case as to why it's better to give the taxpayer-funded spots to the top scorers of anyone in the world willing to rent a furnished apartment in NOVA, vs. awarding them to the top students who are permanent residents of the US.

[Anonymous]

However if they do pass essay writing test, I don't know how you can tell during application process.

Is that essay written on the spot, like the SAT, or is it composed at home and handed in as part of the package?

There was a WashPost article about 2 years ago that explained that a number of the TJ kids had difficulty with the English language and could not write well in English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...looked like at least 30% very recent arrivals.

30%? My kid is from a middle school which has over 50 kids going TJ and she is not aware of any kid coming to US just for TJ.
She might not know everyone but 30% seems hard to believe.