[Nyororin]

I`m going to offer my unpopular opinion.

Private high school exchange programs are a complete and total ripoff.
Families are paid approx. $200/month to host a student. If that - in many cases it is a volunteer activity, with the "payment" to the family being the chance to interact in English... Something that they far too often will push very hard if they have children. I have heard of and personally seen far too many situations where a family volunteers to have a student stay with them and refuses to speak Japanese to them, using them as conversation practice (Because this is what was promised to them in return for housing the student.) Obviously this makes it very hard to advance in Japanese language.

High schools will offer free tuition or even pay the companies to have a student attend to add an international flavor to the school.

Airfare is almost NEVER included.

Where does the $10,000+ you pay go?
Not to support either, as most of these programs are VERY light on that.

Most of the money goes into advertising, and into impressing parents so they`ll trust the company.

Sorry, but I have never seen a good high school exchange program.
Sister school programs - yes. High school level language courses - yes. Full year exchange programs? Not even once.

You really are better off looking into a dedicated language program, or in waiting until after high school to do a university program.