亞洲學生"救了"美國私立中學

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.

隨着越來越多的中國學生尋求到美國接受大學教育，很多人開始把美國高中作爲跳板，由此導致的中國留學生人數的激增幫助私立高中──特別是宗教學校──獲得了急需的收入。

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

美國聯邦機構的數據顯示，目前就讀美國私立高中的中國留學生有23,795人，較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.

亞洲許多高收入家庭急切地盼望着孩子能進美國大學，並開始把美國高中作爲跳板，由此導致美國私立中學──特別是宗教學校──獲得了急需的收入。由於公立高中招收外國學生受到限制，外國留學生的需求對私立高中來說是一大利好。部分由於經濟狀況不佳，私立高中的學生人數銳減，財務狀況陷入困境。

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.

來自中國武漢的常舒（音）是俄勒岡州梅德福市天主教學校聖瑪麗中學(St. Mary's School)的70名中國留學生中的一位。2010年，他們家決定入讀美國高中將有助於他進入一所好的美國大學，於是他來到了這裏。他們對在中國上大學越來越難的狀況感到擔憂。

'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歲的常舒說，在中國，高考決定你能上什麼樣的學校，我想我進不了一所非常好的學校。中國參加高考的人數逐年增多。

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

聖瑪麗中學校長菲利普斯(Frank Phillips)說，對該校來說，常舒代表着一種重要的收入來源。該校曾數次面臨無力償債的窘境。

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.

就讀聖瑪麗中學的大部分中國留學生每年需要繳納49,600美元，而不住校的美國學生僅需12,600美元。除去12,500美元的食宿費及必需的醫療保險，外國學生每年要比本地學生多支付約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.

爲吸引外國留學生，聖瑪麗中學參加了中國的教育展，與中國教育官員建立了關係，並聘用了一家學生挑選機構。隨後入學人數大幅上升，幫助聖瑪麗中學擺脫了財務困境。

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.

其他國家和地區有很多人認爲，拿到美國的大學學歷就等於走上了成功之路，而美國高中則被視做這條路的入口。美國國土安全部(Department of Homeland Security)的數據顯示，在當前學年，有近42,845名來自中國、韓國、印度、日本、臺灣和越南的學生就讀於美國私立高中，較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學(Marvelwood School)校長古蒂爾(Arthur Goodearl Jr.)說，該校本學年從中國大陸招收了30名學生。他說，我們是一所靠學費運營的學校，我們的挑戰在於管理預算。該校有150名學生。

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.

教育部的數據顯示，美國全部私立高中的在冊學生人數2005年達到約610萬人的最高峯。而到了2009年，在冊學生數量已經下降至約550萬人，而這減少的人數中約有80%來自宗教學校。2009年以後的美國私立高中就讀學生數目前還無法獲得。

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.

美國的教育官員說，就讀學生減少，以及原來送子女去基督教學校的家長日益流行在家教育子女或送子女上特許學校，這都使宗教學校受到了打擊。

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，在美國宗教學校就讀的亞洲學生從2008年時的10,611人增加到18,591人，增加的這些學生中大部分來自中國。2008年，在美國念私立高中的亞洲學生中有大約三分之二的人在世俗學校上學，但在今年增加的那部分在美讀私立高中的亞洲學生中，有大約一半的人在宗教學校就讀。

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.

菲利普斯說，雖然許多在美讀高中的亞洲學生、特別是來自中國的學生並不信仰宗教，但他們卻看重基督教學校保守的社會價值，這種價值與中國傳統的儒家思想更爲契合。

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.

肯亞維爾基督教中學(Canyonville Christian Academy)位於俄勒岡州梅德福以北約75英里的地方，校董們大約10年前曾投票決定關閉這所寄宿制學校，以避免學校宣佈破產，但隨着外國學生的就學需求開始大幅飆升，校董們又改變了主意。

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.

現如今，這所學校擁有121名學生，其中只有22人是在美國出生的。美國學生在這所學校每年的學費和食宿費是15,000美元，而外國學生每人每年需支付的此類費用爲25,000美元。肯亞維爾基督教中學的一名管理人員說，我們是一所經濟不景氣地區的小學校，我們不得不引進外國學生。

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.

常舒是在一個教育展會上知道聖瑪麗中學的。他通過美國馬薩諸塞州伯靈頓(Burlington)的教育中介機構美國劍橋國際教育(Cambridge Institute of International Education)向聖瑪麗中學提出了入學申請。美國劍橋國際教育負責爲美國近150所學校在中國篩選學生。外國學生就讀聖瑪麗中學每年需向學校支付49,000美元，美國劍橋國際教育從中收取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.'

學生家長們對聖瑪麗中學不再面臨破產壓力感到欣慰，但他們中的一些人也說，教室裏坐滿了亞洲學生可能會影響到該校的學術環境。在當地擁有一家企業的學生家長達諾爾(Ted Darnall)說，在他女兒上的那個美國大學預修課程(Advanced Placement)班的美國曆史課上，有三個美國孩子和12名外國學生聽課，老師在上課的時候不得不照顧到12個母語不是英語的學生。

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

一些外國學生也對班級的人員構成情況有怨言。常舒說，班裏的中國人太多了，都沒機會練習英語了。