International Students

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM

Vistamar School's International Student Program has been running since 2016. Currently, we have around 10 International Students enrolled and they make up about 2% of our student population. Our goal is to enroll a diverse group of international students interested in studying in the United States of America for four years of high school.

True to our mission, we know that having a diverse global perspective will help all of our students prepare for a global society. We realise that English is not a first language for all of our International students, therefore we have developed a English Language Learners (ELL) program for 9th and 10th grade students. Read more ELL here.

INTERNATIONAL ADMISSIONS PROCESS

Vistamar School partners with numerous International placement agencies, consultants and individual families with students considering applying to Vistamar School.

International Students are welcome to apply to transfer into the current 2018-2019 school year. Please note, we have limited spaces for transfer students in grades 9, 10 & 11. Students can over the course of 3 entry points on our trimester system, please note your entry point when you submit the inquiry form:

Entry Point 4: Third Trimester on March 6th

All applications and supplemental materials must be in no later than February 8th.
Decisions rendered by February 15th.

International Students looking to start next Fall, for the 2019-2020 school year should submit their application by January 17, 2019 and the remaining supporting materials by January 31, 2019.

For more information about applying to Vistamar School, please review the Admissions Processs below:

Step - by - Step Instructions

List of 5 frequently asked questions.

STEP ONE: SUBMIT THE INQUIRY FORM

Please click here to fill out the online inquiry form. By doing this, you and your family will be added to our admissions database. This lets us know your interests and to receive important email and mail communications from the Admissions Office.

Transfer applicants, please leave a note in the "additional information box" to indicate the entry point you are applying for.

Please note: If you have already completed the inquiry form, then you are in our database and do not need to fill out the form again.

For password assistance to log into your myVistamar account, please email admissions@vistamarschool.org and we will respond within 1 - 2 business days.
STEP TWO: SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

APPLICANTS APPLYING THROUGH AN AGENCY:
Vistamar School will accept the application from our partnership agencies, however, applicants MUST fill out the Inquiry Form. Afterwards, agency coordinators will need to email the application as a pdf to admissions@vistamarschool.org.

APPLICANTS APPLYING INDEPENDENTLY or WITH A CONSULTANT:
Vistamar School uses the Standard Application Online (SAO)— to begin your application, click here. Make sure to select "Vistamar School" from the school list.

The annual deadline to submit an application for the 2019-20 academic year is January 17, 2019.
* There is a one-time application fee of $125. If this is a hardship for you and your family, please email admissions@vistamarschool.org.*

You will then be directed to complete a Character Skills Snapshot which gives us richer holistic information to make admission decisions beyond just grades and test scores.
SAO Issues: apply@ssat.org or by Phone (Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EST) : 609.683.4440
STEP THREE: SUPPLEMENTAL FORMS
In addition to the application, each applicant is required to submit their transcripts and letters of recommendation from an administrator, English teacher, and math teacher. There is a standard form that all members of the LAIS (Los Angeles Independent Schools) Consortium use and they are available to on the right-hand column as editable PDFs.

We will accept an agency's official forms or on the sending school's letterhead as well.

Recommendations can be returned to Vistamar School one of three ways:
- EMAIL: (preferred): As a PDF file ONLY to admissions@vistamarschool.org
- MAIL: Vistamar School, "Attention Admissions, " 737 Hawaii Street, El Segundo, CA 90245
- FAX: "Attention Admissions" to 310-643-7371
STEP FOUR: SCHEDULE YOUR INTERVIEW

After your online application has been submitted, we will contact you to set up an interview with a member of the Vistamar Admissions Committee. We realize not every family can travel to the U.S., so we offer the option to Skype or WeChat each applicant. In our outreach, we will confirm that method.
STEP FIVE: SUBMIT YOUR ADMISSION TESTING

International students who apply to Vistamar School are required to take the TOEFL. Vistamar School's TOEFL code is "C219." The TOEFL is one factor we consider in gaining a clear academic picture of each applicant, the minimum score we typically accept is 50.

If students have also taken the ISEE, SSAT, PSAT, or AP Testing we will accept and review those official scores as well. Here are our school codes: ISEE: 054327 & SSAT: 7976

All test results must come to Vistamar School directly from the testing company. We will not accept scores from an applicant’s family or consultant.

Visit Us

The best way to get to know Vistamar School is to visit our state-of-the-art campus. Come to one of our Admissions Open Houses, or come by for a tour of the school while classes are in session. Tours are offered Tuesday through Thursday, by appointment. This is a great opportunity to see our innovative campus, get a peek into our classrooms and to meet with the Admissions Team.

International Agents & Consultants, we offer a special campus tour to help you learn more about Vistamar School. Click here to schedule your Campus Tour. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please email: admissions@vistamarschool.org.

General Campus Tour:
Click here to schedule your Campus Tour.

Vistamar is closed on all major holidays.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

List of 3 frequently asked questions.

HOUSING INFORMATION

In order to provide an I-20 Visa we must have proof and confirmation of a students' local living arrangements because students must have a local guardian even if they turn 18. Vistamar School does not offer on-campus housing but partners with host family placement organizations to find family hosts in the area. Students MUST confirm housing prior to the start of each year in order to keep their Visa in good standing.

Should a student live with extended family or parents, please be aware that Vistamar has the obligation to check on the student’s living arrangements throughout their time at Vistamar as part of the Visa requirement.

For additional information please email the Admissions Team, admissions@vistamarschool.org.
TUITION INFORMATION

Tuition for International Students and those enroleld in the ELL program for the 2018/2019 year is $40,900.

A deposit of 10% of tuition is due with the contract. Tuition must be paid in full in US dollars for the I-20 to be processed. Tuition insurance is available for international students for an additional charge. Please refer to your contract for more information.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING (ELL) PROGRAM

The English Language Learning (ELL) program is designed to integrate concepts from the content area courses (humanities, math, science, etc.) into its units of study. Cultivating critical thinkers who are empathetic and comfortable in culturally diverse settings is at the heart of learning in the ELL program and across the school. Units of study in the ELL program are based on the California Department of Education Standards for English Language Development. At the end of the program, ELL students will be given a comprehensive assessment that measures their language abilities in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Once students have exited the ELL program, they will continue to have dedicated office hours with an ELL specialist for any academic guidance they may need.

International students who enter Vistamar will spend their freshman and sophomore years integrated into mainstream courses. However, instead of taking a foreign language course, they will take a course that offers them further foundational support with the building of English skills.

Click here to read more...

Email the Admissions Team

Submit an Inquiry

Meet the International Admissions Team

List of 3 members.

Patricia Goodenberger

Director of Admissions
Andrew Taylor

Humanities Teacher, International Admissions Coordinator
Pablo Delgado

Humanities Teacher, International Academic Coordinator

TOEFL Requirement

International students who apply to Vistamar School are requried to take the TOEFL. Vistamar School's TOEFL code is "C219." The TOEFL is one factor we consider in gaining a clear academic picture of each applicant, the minimum score we typically accept is 50.

If students have also taken the ISEE, SSAT, PSAT, or AP Testing we will accept and review those official scores as well. Here are our school codes: ISEE: 054327 & SSAT: 7976

All test results must come to Vistamar School directly from the testing company. We will not accept scores from an applicant’s family or consultant.

SUPPLEMENTAL FORMS

In addition to the application, each applicant is required to submit their transcripts and letters of recommendation. Recommendations can be returned via: