International Schooling in the United States: an Exploratory Study of a Burgeoning Industry

Abstract

This study explores the K-12 international school landscape inside the United States. The study identifies 595 international schools in the United States and shows that hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren are enrolled in these schools. Using a quantitative analysis, the research documents trends in the 595 schools, including but not limited to: (a) curriculum offerings, (b) enrollment trends, (c) locations, and (d) themes of mission statements.

A series of takeaways from both the large-n data analysis and the case studies are offered. The market for international schools is particularly robust in the highly populated states such as California and New York. Most of the international schools are located in the urban or suburban areas of the country. The article offers an international school typology adapted for the US market, adding three new categories of schools. Based on the 595 schools identified in this study, some of the schools in the United States are heavily focused on preserving a culture or language within a larger community. Another category of international school in the United States is the school that is designed to heavily emphasize convenience. The final, additional category of schools found in the United States is schools especially geared toward serving English language learning (ELL) students in communities with high immigrant populations.