The American educational system is one of the most popular internationally thanks to the enormous exposure through television series or cinema. It has certain similarities with the Canadian education system but it is very different from other older and more traditional European educational models.
We are going to discover some keys that will help us understand why study in USA It has become the first alternative for the majority of students interested in going abroad.
School grades in the USA: Equivalences with the educational system in Spain
Elementary school (grade 1 – grade 5)
1st Primary: Grade 1st
2nd Primary : Grade 2nd
3rd Primary : Grade 3rd
4th Primary: Grade 4th
5th Primary: Grade 5th
Middle school (grade 6 – grade 8)
6th Primary: Grade 6th
1st ESO : Grade 7th
2nd ESO : Grade 8th
High school (grade 9 – grade 12)
3rd ESO: Grade 9th
4th ESO : Grade 10th
1st BACH : Grade 11th
2nd BACH : Grade 12th
All American students attending public education up to grade 12 are exempt from paying tuition fees and schooling is compulsory until age 16. A student graduates at the end of grade 12 always having passed all the required courses.
On our page School Year in the United States You can know all the keys about this program: prices, requirements, validation, accommodation, subjects, etc..
Structure of the United States Education System
The educational system in the US is particularly decentralized since school management and financing is a matter dependent on each of its 50 states and the different local communities. Unlike the educational system in Spain, schools do not depend on a body as general as a regional education council, but rather that schools are managed, regulated and funded by the school district to which they belong.
There are school districts that can encompass a large number of schools but there can also be school districts, especially in more rural areas, that control only one or two schools.
These school districts are governed by the Board of Education, which is a committee of directors elected by members of their local community and is the one that establishes the specific educational policies for each school in their district.
The American educational system comprises 12 courses (degrees) until the beginning of higher teachings like the college or the university:
School Calendar in the American Educational System
Unlike most European countries, the school calendar in the United States. does not follow the same guidelines in the different States of its territory but rather school year start and end dates vary widely and are determined by their respective school districts. In fact, there are very significant differences from one school to another.
A general trend is that a large part of the schools in the southern states usually start the school year very early, some even at the end of July, while in the northern states they usually start at the beginning of September
For example, the schools in Chandler, Arizona begin their school year around July 20, while the schools in Seattle (Washington) or New York begin around September 9. This lag also causes the end of the course date to be different.
When are school holidays in the American educational system?
In the United States the academic year normally has about 180 school days. School holidays, again, are determined not only by federal holidays (which affect the entire country) but also by state and local holidays. Federal school holidays, and therefore those that affect the entire country, are as follows:
- Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving): It is the fourth Thursday of the month of November. Holidays in schools are from the day before (Wednesday) and also include the day after (black friday) so they enjoy 5 days of vacation from Wednesday to Monday.
- Christmas break (Christmas): They usually last from December 23 to the first weekday of January (if it falls on January 1, it would start on day 2)
- Spring break (spring break): Lasts for a week in March or April, usually coinciding with Holy Week.
- Summer break (Summer Vacation): Lasts between 10 and 11 weeks during the summer months (May – early August) or (June – mid-August)
Marvel at how some high schools in the United States take their graduation ceremonies seriously. They are truly important and emotional acts:
Grading System
In American schools, teachers evaluate students throughout the academic year. The parents or guardians of the students receive the «report cards » (student progress reports) with a periodicity that will depend on the teacher or the center in question but are usually weekly or monthly.
Final semester or full year grades are usually presented in a Numerical scale from 0 to 100 points, or in a alphabetical scale from F to A.
NUMERICAL SCALE
- suspense: 0-69.9
- Approved: 70.0 – 79.9
- Remarkable: 80.0 – 89.9
- Outstanding: 90.0 – 100.0
ALPHABETICAL SCALE
- suspense: D, E or F
- Approved: C
- Remarkable: B
- Outstanding: TO
Subjects in the American Educational System
Depending on the degree in question, there are certain core subjects (compulsory enrollment) and optional subjects. As the grade progresses, the variety of subjects that a «High School » it can be very extensive. In this article on original subjects that can be studied in the United States, we can get an idea about the level of specialization that can be experienced in the American educational system.
Social Sciences Area (Normally it is required to take 3 subjects between the area of science and social sciences)
- World history
- American history
- Government model
- Economy
- Right
- Sociology
- Psychology
- …
Mathematics Area (normally it is required to take 1 subject in the area of mathematics)
- Pre-Algebra
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Trigonometry
- Precalculation
- Calculation
- Statistics
- …
- Nutrition
- First aid
- Sex education
- Illegal drugs
- Tobacco
- Alcohol
- Physical education
Physical Education Area
Stage of «High school« | Optative subjects
Art Area
- History of art
- Painting
- Sculpture
- Artistic drawing
- Movie theater
- Theater
- Chorus
- Dance
Computing area
- Graphic design
- App programming
- General programming
- Web design
- Video game design
- Musical production
- 3d design
- …
Personal Development Area
- Carpentry
- Vial education
- Mechanics
- farming
- Metallurgy
- …
Foreign Languages Area
- Spanish
- French
- Chinese
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Russian
- Portuguese
- …
Economics and Marketing Area
- Marketing
- Advertising
- yearbook
- Accounting
- Finance
- …
Health and Home Economics Area
- Kitchen
- Sex education
- Domestic accounting
- Nutrition
- Nursing
- Dietary training
Extracurricular Activities in the American Educational System
One of the strengths of the United States educational system is the enormous importance of the different extracurricular activities that a student can choose from during their school years.
Sports activities play a fundamental role in the American educational system. and especially the sports of American football and basketball. It is difficult to find a school where these sports are not offered.
American schools greatly encourage sports practice among their students and the offer will depend on their size, sports tradition and available funds. Although American football and basketball is an option that we find in practically all American schools, there is a lot of variety and originality among the sports offered:
Some sports offered in US colleges
- Football
- Basketball
- Soccer (European football)
- Baseball
- Fight
- Swimming
- Athletics
- Cross Country (Racing in the field)
- Golf
- Ice Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Volleyball
- …
In addition to extracurricular sports activities, schools in the US are characterized by offering their students a very wide range of artistic or cultural options.
Some non-sports after-school activities offered in American schools
- Music band
- Orchestra
- Chorus
- School newspaper
- Debate club
- Chess Club
- School governance
- Language club
- Community volunteering
- …