hi, iam also a single mom and my son is 11 years old. regarless that we are a latino background and born..most of the kids rather speak english and not spanish...the latino background kids struggle with their spanish thru early school years...my son and i speak english than spanish...so iam sure your son by now should have made lots of friends...dont worry about the red hair..iam sure he will blend with the rest...kids only care about playing around, talking about their games such xbox360, cellphone, ipod....so i wish you the best and just be supportive and a best friend to your son...ask him daily how was school, about friends or even girlfriends...maybte he can bring some friends home and you get a chance to meet his group....good luck!

I know how you feel and just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. We moved to Miami from the northeast a few years ago and still haven't "adjusted". There are some good private schools but they are VERY expensive. For public schools, I've heard that Pinecrest, Palmetto and Sunset Elementary (International) are good. As for us...we will be moving back next year! The reality is that it is very difficult here if one does not speak spanish and is not part of the latin culture so I would tell you to try to be as supportive as possible and understand that what he may be going through is indeed quite difficult and may be more than your average adjustment to a new city. I do sincerely wish you well and hope your son will soon adjust. I imagine once he makes some friends, he will be very happy.

I feel your concern. I moved from Illinois to SW Florida. I do not like the schools here at all!! I have look into public, charter, and private. I went with the private. It is very hard on me financially, as a single parent. But I was able to get a discount because of my income. Schools on Florida are must diffent than Illinois. My daughter and I are really happy with the choice I have made.

I'm from IL, and while I can't address your specific question about alternative schools, I'm wondering if you've tried to talk to your son's counselor about the situation, and what he could do to help ease the transition? Are there any clubs/activities your son was involved in here, that he could join down there, like scouting or sports teams? You might be interested in joining Greatschools Single Parenting group at community.greatschools.net/groups/11559