High school that will help me get to Japan?

Hello. I am a current eighth grader in the US and am getting ready for high school next year, and am having trouble deciding which one to go to. I want to move to Japan when I grow up (it's my main goal to find a job there and move there), so I want to pick the high school that will raise my chances of making it to Japan the most. I've lowered it down to three equally amazing high schools. One of them is a small private school (about 15 kids per class average, 30 per grade) that is very good academically, offering many AP courses. This school also has the best teachers by far in my opinion, like a lot far, as I have met most of the teachers at each school. Although, it is going through a lot of changes right now, and I do not know if they are good or bad. The next school is a medium sized private Jesuit school (about 30 kids per class, 100 per grade), which I have heard is just only a little less good academically than the previous school mentioned, but is way better in sports. This is like the bandwagon school, where everyone says: "You want to do good in life? Go here." Finally, there is this public high school (about 50 kids per class, 500 per grade) that is just as excellent as the first school mentioned academically, offering the exact same amount of AP courses, and having an excellent sports program like the second school mentioned (way better than the first, as the first school mentioned doesn't focus on sports as much, even though they do have sports teams).

Anyways, what I am trying to ask, is that which high school would best help and prepare me for trying to move to Japan? Would I have a easier time getting to Japan if I went to the small private school, the medium Jesuit private school, or the large public school (again, all three are equally as amazing)? Or does which high school I go to not matter when trying to get to Japan? Thanks for reading this far if you have.

P.S. Am I overthinking this?
P.P.S. Please don't be rude in the replies

Mostly, it does not matter, except maybe if one school offers Japanese language classes or has a partnership of some sort with a Japanese school (especially if you can spend some time at the Japanese partner school).

You're overthinking this.

The high school doesn't matter, it's your grades that matter. Whether you want to finish university/college in your home country first or go to Japan for university, it's all about your grades not what high school you attended.

Also as the other poster wrote, if there is a high school with a reciprocal exchange program with a Japanese high school that could be an option too.

Not trying to be rude, but...why do you want to live in Japan?
Have you ever been there?
I think what you should do now is to find a way to go to Japan for a short period of time, like an exchange program.
You still aren't in high school so I wonder what knowledge you have about Japan. Are you passionate about anime and manga?
If after all you really want to go to Japan, I recommend you start learning the language. Most people in Japan do not speak english, and I mean it. You really need to be fluent in Japanese to be able to live in Japan. So your first step can be to learn the language.

You may want to keep in mind that you can participate in privately organized exchanges from any high school and as far as working in Japan immigration only cares about your university degree, not your high school diploma.

If none of the high schools are connected to Japan, go to the one with the best university preparation, because university is what will get you to Japan. If you want to visit beforehand, there are several programs that offer home stays for high schoolers, try looking into those.

As others have said, if there is a high school that has direct ties to Japan, or can offer you a homestay experience, then definitely go with that one. However even if none of your choices have that option, check if your city has a sister city in Japan and if there is any homestay opportunity or anything associated with that. My city does a JHS exchange with a sister city in Canada, and my cousin came over to spend a week on a HS sister city exchange program as well (to a different city than mine).

If neither of those options work, and you'd still like to participate in something during high school, look around your city for outreach programs or Japanese cultural programs. If there are any local colleges or universities near you, check out their club activities and see if there is a Japanese club or Asian Culture club. There might be events open you can join. My hometown had a Japanese garden, so every year in September there was a Tsukimi (moon-viewing) event that the public could join. I also remember taiko performances on occasion.

In high school my school didn't have any Japanese classes, but a nearby school did. A friend of mine worked with both schools to be able to attend and get credit for the Japanese class at the other high school. She lives in Japan now, too. Some college classes can either be audited by younger students, or you can even get college credit in high school for certain classes if there is a college near you. You'd have to talk to a counselor at your high school, but there are a ton of ways you can involve yourself in high school even if your school isn't directly connected. This might not help you much in high school, but it will look really good on your college application, as well as keep up your interest in Japan even if you don't get much exposure in your chosen high school.

By the way, if you're lucky enough to have a choice in your high schools, choose the one that "feels" the best to you if you've visited. Since it doesn't matter so much for your getting-to-Japan goal, go with the one you feel like you'll do the best at. You seem like a very intelligent person who is focused on getting the best out of your high school experience. I think that no matter which school you go to, you can excel in any of them and reach your goal. Good luck!

Thanks for the replies everyone. All three schools don't offer any Japan related classes or support foreign exchange, so I'll go to the one that feels right and will help me with university stuides the most.

Also, @Rodriqc, I want to move to Japan when I am older because I really love their culture (including anime and manga, but it certainly isn't limted to those things, although it kind of is what started this whole dream of mine, well part of it anyway) and people. I feel like if there's only one place I can call home when I am older, it should be somewhere in Japan. I can't really explain the feeling, I just feel that Japan is where I belong. Although, I have not been there, so I guess I should visit before I move there to make sure I'll be happy living there.

Also, I have been taking the Japanese Rosetta Stone, but haven't really done anything else. I really need to get on that. I was planning on buying a Japanese learning language workbook or something because there's sadly no Japanese lessons in the area.

Anyways, thanks for all the replies everyone. Feel free to post more everyone, cause I really want more opinions on what I should do (in terms of trying to make it to Japan).

P.S. @Rodriqc About the grades being the thing that counts, I recently got my report card for the first semester and I got my first "A" in eighth grade sadly. I wanted to keep all A+'s all year, which I had a pretty good chance of doing before I took that stupid Drama class and got an A. Anyways, will Japanese universities only accept me if I keep up all A+'s for the rest of my school career (which has been pretty stressful on me), or is getting just a normal "A" once in a while acceptable?

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I just feel that Japan is where I belong. Although, I have not been there

Japan almost certainly isn't what you think it is. Visiting Japan isn't the same as living in Japan. Living in Japan for 2 years isn't the same as living here 10 years. Like most places, the dream is better than the reality.

It's great to have a dream - I applaud that - but I think you should also consider what you might want to do if Japan doesn't work out. I generally recommend against studying Japanese or Asian studies at university - study something more practical, such as business or science, and minor in Japanese. A JLPT N2 certificate is more use than a degree in Japanese from a US university.

If you plan on studying a degree taught in Japanese at a Japanese university, you will need excellent Japanese (JLPT N2/1) and you need to pass the EJU. However, over the next few years, there will be an increasing number of English medium programs, which will allow you to study Japanese, while you earn a degree in something more useful. You won't need all A-grades to get into most of them, but if you want to go to one of the top universities (e.g. Tokyo, Kyoto), it's best to keep your score card as strong as possible.

Also, I have been taking the Japanese Rosetta Stone, but haven't really done anything else. I really need to get on that. I was planning on buying a Japanese learning language workbook or something because there's sadly no Japanese lessons in the area.

Even though you may not have access to a Japanese tutor, you are super young and therefore have an amazing opportunity to get a massive head start, do not waste it if you really believe you want to live in Japan (I'm not going to get into whether or not your "dream" is correct or not, I'm just acting on the assumption that you will, one day end up living there).

Read, listen, interact with the language as much as you can. Even if you don't speak to a Japanese person for another two or three years you will be doing yourself a massive favour.

There are lots of resources available for free or from bookstores, but here are two that I think are really good for beginners.

http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/
https://www.erin.ne.jp/en/

If anime and manga is what started your dream then I just think you need a bit of reality.
I'm just saying this because at the end you could be terribly disappointed.
Do you know Japanese people? Do you know about the real aspects of the culture?
I'm not saying Japan can't be your perfect place, but you should learn about it and explore the reality of it.

Japan isn't anime. Japan isn't a place where everyone can be themselves and dress as they want, walk doing cosplay on the street, or have your hair dyed with crazy colors. It's not a place where you can speak your mind. And it definitely isn't a place where you will be treated like a king because you're a foreigner.
Japan is a place where human relations work differently from your culture, where at the beginning you will feel alone. Japan is already hard for japanese people, but it's ever harder as a foreigner. Be prepared for people to ignore you or feel uncomfortable around you. Even if you can speak japanese perfectly some people will speak broken english at you or treat you like you know nothing about their culture.
But I'm not saying this to make Japan feel like a bad place. As any country, it has good and bad things.
I just recommend that you visit and experience it by yourself.

I have a similar dream as you, wanting to live in Japan..however I'm 26 so I think you have a massive advantage actually when it comes to living in Japan being so young if that's really what you want to do. I would agree with everyone else though, before deciding you want to live there permanently you should definitely visit, long term if possible.

I would gather a list of possible high schools and then ask them if they have any opportunities for you to do a 1 year study abroad in Japan. I would also make sure they have Japanese classes. You would probably study abroad in your Junior year (3rd year) I think...so make sure to study as much Japanese as possible. Honestly I don't think Rosetta Stone is a great foundation, much better would be either to take a class in Japanese or to get a Japanese tutor to guide you if that isn't an option. I think a textbook style approach and having something to keep yourself accountable especially at this age will help you keep your progress on track.

Lastly I would definitely do research into going to University in Japan if you find that you are still interested in living there after your high school study abroad. Waseda University comes to mind when I think of top universities in Japan that cater to non-Japanese speaking foreigners...but I think by the time you are ready to go to college your Japanese should probably be good enough to go to any Japanese university, but this assumes you can reach N2ish in 4-5 years.

I'm not here to question your dream to live in Japan, so good luck with whatever you decide. I can only say the more Japanese skills you have the better.

Just to add, I see you already mentioned none of the schools offer Japanese classes. I would see if I could attend one of the local community colleges during high school (I know a few smart kids that passed Calculus early and attended community college during high school) and take Japanese classes there as well, this will be a cheaper option and you can get out of your high school's foreign language requirement. If that isn't an option you are comfortable with, then maybe look for a language school nearby or a private Japanese tutor once a week, depending on finances this can be expensive though.