亚洲学生"救了"美国私立中学

As growing numbers of Chinese students seek a college education in the U.S., many are turning to American high Schools as a steppingstone. The resulting surge in Chinese enrollment has helped private high schools, and religious academies in particular, reap much-needed revenue.

随着越来越多的中国学生寻求到美国接受大学教育，很多人开始把美国高中作为跳板，由此导致的中国留学生人数的激增帮助私立高中──特别是宗教学校──获得了急需的收入。

There are now 23,795 Chinese students in U.S. private high schools, up from 4,503 in 2008, according to federal figures.

美国联邦机构的数据显示，目前就读美国私立高中的中国留学生有23,795人，较2008年的4,503人大幅上升。

With public high schools restricted from admitting foreign students, the demand has been a boon to private academies, which have seen enrollment and their finances suffer, in part due to the economy. Leah Nash for The Wall Street Journal.

亚洲许多高收入家庭急切地盼望着孩子能进美国大学，并开始把美国高中作为跳板，由此导致美国私立中学──特别是宗教学校──获得了急需的收入。由于公立高中招收外国学生受到限制，外国留学生的需求对私立高中来说是一大利好。部分由于经济状况不佳，私立高中的学生人数锐减，财务状况陷入困境。

Shu Chang, from Wuhan, China, is one of 70 Chinese students at St. Mary's School, a Catholic academy in this Oregon city. He moved here in 2010 after his family decided a U.S. high school would help him win a spot at a good U.S. college. They had grown concerned about the rising difficulty Chinese students face in getting into universities in their home country.

来自中国武汉的常舒（音）是俄勒冈州梅德福市天主教学校圣玛丽中学(St. Mary's School)的70名中国留学生中的一位。2010年，他们家决定入读美国高中将有助于他进入一所好的美国大学，于是他来到了这里。他们对在中国上大学越来越难的状况感到担忧。

'A huge test determines where you go' in China, said the 18-year-old Mr. Chang, referring to his country's annual college-entrance examination, which has drawn an ever-greater number of participants. 'I don't think I could go to a very top school.'

18岁的常舒说，在中国，高考决定你能上什么样的学校，我想我进不了一所非常好的学校。中国参加高考的人数逐年增多。

For St. Mary's, Mr. Chang represents crucial revenue for an institution that had faced insolvency several times, said Frank Phillips, the headmaster.

圣玛丽中学校长菲利普斯(Frank Phillips)说，对该校来说，常舒代表着一种重要的收入来源。该校曾数次面临无力偿债的窘境。

Families of most Chinese students here pay $49,600 a year versus the $12,600 paid by local students, who don't live on campus. Subtracting the room and board charges, plus required health insurance, of $12,500 a year means the foreign students pay a premium of about $24,500.

就读圣玛丽中学的大部分中国留学生每年需要缴纳49,600美元，而不住校的美国学生仅需12,600美元。除去12,500美元的食宿费及必需的医疗保险，外国学生每年要比本地学生多支付约24,500美元。

To attract students from abroad, St. Mary's attended school fairs in China, established ties with Chinese education officials and hired a student-placement agency. A subsequent jump in enrollment has turned St. Mary's fortunes around.

为吸引外国留学生，圣玛丽中学参加了中国的教育展，与中国教育官员建立了关系，并聘用了一家学生挑选机构。随后入学人数大幅上升，帮助圣玛丽中学摆脱了财务困境。

Many people in other countries see a U.S. college degree as the path to success -- and an American high school as the doorway. In the current academic year, almost 42,845 students from China, South Korea, India, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam attend U.S. private high schools, according to the Department of Homeland Security, up from 27,235 in 2008.

其他国家和地区有很多人认为，拿到美国的大学学历就等于走上了成功之路，而美国高中则被视做这条路的入口。美国国土安全部(Department of Homeland Security)的数据显示，在当前学年，有近42,845名来自中国、韩国、印度、日本、台湾和越南的学生就读于美国私立高中，较2008年的27,235人大幅上升。

Arthur Goodearl Jr., head of Marvelwood School in Kent, Conn., which has 150 students, said the school accepted 30 applicants from mainland China this academic year. 'We're a tuition-driven school,' said Mr. Goodearl. 'Our challenge is to manage our budget.'

康涅狄格州肯特的麻渥伍德中学(Marvelwood School)校长古蒂尔(Arthur Goodearl Jr.)说，该校本学年从中国大陆招收了30名学生。他说，我们是一所靠学费运营的学校，我们的挑战在于管理预算。该校有150名学生。

Enrollment at all private high schools peaked at about 6.1 million in 2005, Education Department data show. By 2009, the most recent year for which figures are available, it had fallen to about 5.5 million -- and religious institutions accounted for about 80% of the decline.

教育部的数据显示，美国全部私立高中的在册学生人数2005年达到约610万人的最高峰。而到了2009年，在册学生数量已经下降至约550万人，而这减少的人数中约有80%来自宗教学校。2009年以后的美国私立高中就读学生数目前还无法获得。

Religious schools have been hit by the downturn as well as the growing popularity of home schooling and charter schools among parents who used to send their children to Christian institutions, education officials said.

美国的教育官员说，就读学生减少，以及原来送子女去基督教学校的家长日益流行在家教育子女或送子女上特许学校，这都使宗教学校受到了打击。

But this year, the number of students from Asia in religious schools rose to 18,591 from 10,611 in 2008, with Chinese accounting for most of the rise. In 2008, about two-thirds of Asian students attending private high schools in the U.S. went to secular institutions, but about half of the increase seen this year were enrolled in religious schools.

但今年，在美国宗教学校就读的亚洲学生从2008年时的10,611人增加到18,591人，增加的这些学生中大部分来自中国。2008年，在美国念私立高中的亚洲学生中有大约三分之二的人在世俗学校上学，但在今年增加的那部分在美读私立高中的亚洲学生中，有大约一半的人在宗教学校就读。

Though many of the students, especially those from China, aren't religious, they look favorably on the Christian schools' conservative social values, which mesh with classical Chinese Confucian mores, Mr. Phillips said.

菲利普斯说，虽然许多在美读高中的亚洲学生、特别是来自中国的学生并不信仰宗教，但他们却看重基督教学校保守的社会价值，这种价值与中国传统的儒家思想更为契合。

Directors of Canyonville Christian Academy, about 75 miles north of Medford, voted to close the boarding school about 10 years ago to keep from declaring bankruptcy, but changed their minds when demand from foreign students began to surge.

肯亚维尔基督教中学(Canyonville Christian Academy)位于俄勒冈州梅德福以北约75英里的地方，校董们大约10年前曾投票决定关闭这所寄宿制学校，以避免学校宣布破产，但随着外国学生的就学需求开始大幅飙升，校董们又改变了主意。

Today, Canyonville has 121 students, only 22 of them U.S.-born. The Americans pay $15,000 a year for tuition, room and board while international students pay $25,000 each. 'We're a tiny school in a depressed area, so we had to import foreign students,' said Roger Shaffer, a Canyonville administrator.

现如今，这所学校拥有121名学生，其中只有22人是在美国出生的。美国学生在这所学校每年的学费和食宿费是15,000美元，而外国学生每人每年需支付的此类费用为25,000美元。肯亚维尔基督教中学的一名管理人员说，我们是一所经济不景气地区的小学校，我们不得不引进外国学生。

Mr. Chang learned of St. Mary's at a recruitment fair in China. He applied through the Cambridge Institute of International Education of Burlington, Mass., which vets applicants from China for nearly 150 U.S. schools. Cambridge takes $11,200 of the $49,000 foreign students pay St. Mary's each year.

常舒是在一个教育展会上知道圣玛丽中学的。他通过美国马萨诸塞州伯灵顿(Burlington)的教育中介机构美国剑桥国际教育(Cambridge Institute of International Education)向圣玛丽中学提出了入学申请。美国剑桥国际教育负责为美国近150所学校在中国筛选学生。外国学生就读圣玛丽中学每年需向学校支付49,000美元，美国剑桥国际教育从中收取11,200美元。

Parents appreciate St. Mary's new solvency, but some say classrooms filled with Asians may affect the academic environment. 'My daughter had an AP [Advanced Placement] U.S. history class -- there were three U.S. kids and 12 international students,' said Ted Darnall, a local business owner. 'The teacher had to teach to the 12 whose English was a second language.'

学生家长们对圣玛丽中学不再面临破产压力感到欣慰，但他们中的一些人也说，教室里坐满了亚洲学生可能会影响到该校的学术环境。在当地拥有一家企业的学生家长达诺尔(Ted Darnall)说，在他女儿上的那个美国大学预修课程(Advanced Placement)班的美国历史课上，有三个美国孩子和12名外国学生听课，老师在上课的时候不得不照顾到12个母语不是英语的学生。

Some foreign students also criticize the student mix. 'There's so many Chinese here,' Mr. Chang said. 'We cannot practice our English.'

一些外国学生也对班级的人员构成情况有怨言。常舒说，班里的中国人太多了，都没机会练习英语了。