Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) provides a pathway for prospective international students to apply and, if approved, register to attend Meridian High School (MHS). The process and requirements are outlined below.

General eligibility guidelines and requirements:

FCCPS considers international student applicants for grades 9-12 only. Students residing in the U.S. are not eligible for application as international students.
Applicants must not have graduated from another high school prior to anticipated FCCPS attendance dates.
International students are eligible for enrollment in FCCPS for a maximum of one school year to include no more than one fall, spring, and summer term.
A notarized guardianship affidavit must be provided to FCCPS to confirm the guardian for the student, who is residing within Falls Church City, has educational and health decision-making powers for the duration of the student’s enrollment in FCCPS.
FCCPS cannot assist applicants with finding a host family or securing a visa.

Timeline:

Applications, including all required documents and the non-refundable application fee, must be received by FCCPS no later than May 1 to be considered for enrollment the following school year.
If the number of approved applicants exceeds the space available, MHS will use a lottery system to randomly select which applicants will be forwarded to the Superintendent and Board for consideration.
On May 2nd (or the next school day thereafter), the Superintendent or designee will place the name of each applicant into a hat and will draw names at random until all names are selected. A list will be created of the order in which the names are drawn, and that list will be maintained by the Superintendent or designee. If the instructional program for a student does not have space available or a parent/guardian elects to remove their student’s name from the program prior to acceptance of the student by the School Board, then that student will be removed from the list and a spot will be available for the next student on the list (also pending availability in the instructional program).

Tuition:

Current FCCPS tuition rates may apply to international students and can be found on the FCCPS public website at: https://www.fccps.org/page/tuition-rates-miscellaneous-fees.

Applicant responsibilities:

Submit the Application for Tuition Paying Students, including all required documents and the non-refundable application fee.
Collaborate with an international placement agency to secure a host family, secure health insurance, and complete legal guardianship requirements.

International placement agency responsibilities:

Collaborate with MHS and the applicant to ensure student’s academic needs can be met through enrollment in FCCPS.
Assist the applicant in obtaining health insurance and legal guardianship documents.
Collaborate with MHS to ensure the student’s academic needs can be met through enrollment in FCCPS.

MHS responsibilities:

Determine if space is available to accommodate the prospective student.
Collaborate with the international placement agency to ensure student’s academic needs can be met through enrollment in FCCPS.
Review the tuition application, including all supplemental documents and affidavits, and interview the applicant and host family to determine eligibility and appropriateness of potential placement at MHS.
Submit recommendation of approval or denial to the Clerk to the School Board.

FCCPS responsibilities:

The School Board Clerk will provide the applicant information and MHS recommendation for approval or denial to the Superintendent and Board for consideration at the next reasonably practicable meeting.
The School Board Clerk will notify MHS and the host family of the Board’s decision.

Related School Board Policies: