The first thing to pin down about ABC Education Group is what it is not. Despite the “Group” in its name, ABC is not a high school or a university. It is a study-abroad service provider headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, that helps international students apply to US high schools and arranges housing, airport pickup and arrival support. In other words, your child would attend one of ABC’s partner high schools, not “study at ABC itself.” Keeping that boundary clear makes everything else in this guide — programs, entry requirements, costs and the services that connect them — much easier to read.
This guide is built from ABC’s own website and the public directory of CSIET, the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel. Where the official pages do not state a figure or a date, that is flagged as “confirm separately” rather than filled in with a guess.
What ABC Education Group actually is
According to CSIET’s public listing for the 2026–2027 cycle, ABC Education Group is a for-profit organization established in 2022, with its headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The same listing records ABC’s accreditation status as “Full” for 2026–2027 and reports 451 F-1 participants for the 2025–2026 cycle, serving students from countries including China, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan.
On its own site, ABC describes itself as a one-stop hub for international students. Its business spans high-school placement across 25 US states, homestay and residential housing, an online high school, college counseling and career coaching. That third-party CSIET record is the most reliable answer to “is this a legitimate operator,” but it is an accreditation of ABC as an exchange-program operator — not a judgment on the academic quality of any particular partner school.
Programs and what your child studies
The flagship program is the one-year F-1 US high school program. Per the CSIET listing and ABC’s own descriptions, it is open to international students aged 14 to 18. Students hold an F-1 student visa, attend a US high school for one semester or ten months, and live with a host family. Because ABC is a placement service and not a school, the curriculum comes from each partner high school, which sets its own courses across subjects such as English, maths, science, history and electives.
There is also an online route: EdOptions Academy. ABC describes it as accredited by Cognia and WASC, offering more than 400 courses across core subjects, career and technical education, AP and electives, staffed by over 290 teachers. The online option can suit students who want to make up credits or study a subject in advance, but its eligible grade range and any regional limits should be confirmed with the provider or the target school. The point is not to count course titles but to check what the specific school your child will attend actually offers.
Entry requirements
For the flagship F-1 program, ABC lists a fairly clear set of entry requirements: an application form completed in English, a language-proficiency test, transcripts (ABC describes the threshold as above-average grades), an autobiographical essay, and an interview with the student and parents before acceptance. The age range of 14 to 18 is the outer frame — students at either edge should confirm the program still applies to them.
A useful distinction: the language test and transcript bar are ABC’s own entry gateway, not the admissions standard of any single US high school. Final admission is decided by the partner school. So treat ABC’s entry criteria as the first filter, then look to each school for its own admissions decisions.
What happens after acceptance: orientations and the F-1 file
Acceptance is not the finish line. ABC’s site states that accepted students must attend several orientations, two of which are held in December and July, covering US culture, English and program rules. Most students are also required to attend an intensive orientation course in the United States before arriving in their host community. This matters because it means the delivery does not end at an offer letter — there is a preparation phase between acceptance and departure.
The student-visa paperwork sits outside ABC’s scope. To study in the US on an F-1 visa, the admitting school issues an I-20 form, and you register with the SEVIS system. Maintaining status is a long-term responsibility: keep the I-20 valid, keep up with coursework and attendance, and avoid gaps from taking time off, transferring or overstaying. ABC coordinates communication, but visa and immigration rules are governed by official sources.
Housing: homestay and residential houses
Housing is one of the most tangible parts of the service, and ABC offers two routes. The homestay program places students with screened local families; ABC says each family is vetted and matched case by case, and that transport within roughly 30 minutes of the pickup point is included, with additional fees possible for longer distances. The other route is ABC’s Residential House program, in which ABC owns and operates the properties, usually near partner schools, with daily transportation, weekly meals and city excursions included, and no host-family wait time after acceptance.
Which route fits depends on the child’s temperament, the school’s location and your budget. Homestay pulls the student closer into an American family’s daily life; the residential houses are more standardized. Either way, get the fee breakdown, transport range and any hidden charges in writing before departure.
How costs are structured
ABC does not publish a uniform list of tuition or service fees, and CSIET’s listing does not include a fee schedule. In practice, costs come from three buckets: the partner school’s tuition and fees, ABC’s service fee, and accommodation (homestay or residential). The exact number depends on the school, the grade and the housing plan.
For budgeting, separate the three buckets and ask for each in writing. Keep the money paid to ABC distinct from the money paid to the school — they are different payers, and confusing them can complicate payments and refunds. Treat any claim of a single nationwide “ABC tuition” with caution until it is confirmed through official channels.
Where to verify official information
A reliable way to check ABC’s claims is to read three sources side by side. ABC’s website tells you what it offers and where its partner schools are. CSIET’s public directory verifies ABC’s accreditation status for the 2026–2027 cycle. And the partner school’s own website shows you its tuition, grades and admission requirements, plus whether it openly describes a relationship with ABC. Each source covers one part of the picture; none replaces the others.
A word of caution about expectations. ABC lowers the information barrier and handles a lot of the logistics, but admission depends on the school, a visa depends on the consulate and official rules, and a child’s adjustment depends on the family and the school. Understanding that boundary keeps your expectations realistic. For current accreditation and program details, check the CSIET public directory and the ABC website; for visa and guardianship rules, refer to the US consulate and the admitting school.