Some students have found a way to obtain their high school diplomas for free in English - by pursuing adult education.

After the Supreme Court decision that struck down Bill 104 continued to allow immigrant students access to English public schools after one year of private schooling, French language defenders dismissed the loophole to Bill 101 as "buying" eligibility to English education.

Instead, some students looked to adult education as a free, legal entry point into English schooling.

If a student has turned 16 by June 30th in a given school year, they have the legal right to decide on the language of their education. For some students struggling in the French system, the choice is clearly English.

"I came from Toronto down here," said teenager Esther Corbin, who was forced into French high school after a move with her family from Ontario.

"It was really hard for the verbs and all that, because I missed out on all that stuff," she explained.

Discouraged and ready to drop out, Corbin waited until she was eligible, and began schooling at James Lyng adult ed centre.

"I think that if I stayed (in French school) I would have been discouraged and dropped out and probably worked a minimum wage job for a couple of years," she said. "I knew I could succeed more over here."

James Lyng principal Habza Shedlack said every year the program caters to several hundred students like Corbin who struggle in French high school and wait for adult eligibility in English education.

"We have students who just didn't make it in the youth sector, for many, many reasons, so they're coming back to us," said Shedlack. "They come to us generally when they're over 16."

Quebec's Education Minister Michelle Courchesne said she's not overly concerned with this free, legal loophole in Bill 101.

"We're always worried, and we'll always have an eye on it, but no, I'm not preoccupied with that at this moment," said Courchesne.

"Probably these young people have one parent that is Anglophone, maybe. I don't know. But I can assure you that it is not a trend - it's not the majority," she said.

It's not simply children of Anglophone parents that study at James Lyng, however.

Yin-Dong Wang, who came to Quebec from China, said though she's able to speak French, she chose to obtain her high school diploma in English before pursuing her career in nursing.

I think English is an international language," she said. "It's very important, so I chose English high school."