1. Hello everyone. Today I will show you everything about education in the United States. Imagine that we are walking down a school hallway, and every locker has a fact inside. Let’s open the first one.
2. Students in the USA go to school for 13 years. That means kindergarten, plus grades 1 to 12. They start at about age 5 and finish at about age 18. Elementary school goes from kindergarten to grade 5, middle school is grades 6 to 8, and high school is grades 9 to 12. Pre-K, for ages 3 to 5, is optional.
3. There are five main types of schools. Public schools are free, and about 9 in 10 students go to them. Private schools charge tuition. Charter schools are public and free, but they are run independently. Magnet schools focus on one subject, like science or art. And some families choose homeschool, where children learn at home.
4. The USA does not have one single school system. About 13,000 local districts run the schools and decide the budgets. Each state sets the standards and gives licenses to teachers. The federal government pays only about 10 percent of the money, but it protects students’ rights.
5. American education is almost 400 years old. In 1635, Boston Latin School opened as the first public school. In 1636, Harvard became the first college. In 1954, the Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education ended legal segregation in schools. And in 1979, the US Department of Education was created.
6. Public school is free from kindergarten to grade 12, because taxes pay for it. But college is not free. A public university costs about 11,000 dollars a year, and a private college can cost about 40,000 dollars a year.
7. The school year is about 180 days long. A normal school day lasts 6 to 7 hours. Classes start in late August or September and end in late May or early June.
8. Students get many breaks. Summer break is the longest, about 10 to 12 weeks. Thanksgiving gives them 2 to 5 days off, winter break is about 2 weeks, and spring break is about one week. Schools also close for holidays like Labor Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents’ Day and Memorial Day.
9 .In a normal day, students study English, math, science and social studies. They can also choose electives, like art, music or languages. A class usually has about 20 to 25 students. Families who qualify get free or low-cost lunch, and students with disabilities get free support.
10. Teachers give letter grades from A to F. An A is worth 4.0, a B is 3.0, a C is 2.0 and a D is 1.0. All the grades are averaged into one number called the GPA.
11. Federal law requires state tests in reading and math in grades 3 to 8, and once in high school. For college, many students take the SAT or the ACT, but many colleges now make these tests optional. Students can also take AP classes to earn college credit while they are still in high school.
12. After grade 12, students get a high school diploma, usually at about age 18. Then they have many choices. They can go to a university for 4 years, or to a community college for 2 years. They can learn a job at a trade school, join the military, or take a gap year before deciding.
13. There are about 4,000 colleges in the USA and about 19 million college students. An associate degree takes 2 years, a bachelor’s degree takes 4 years, and a master’s degree takes 1 to 2 more years. A doctorate is the highest degree, and it is based on research.
14. College is expensive, but there is help. Students fill out the FAFSA, which is the federal aid application. Grants and scholarships are money you keep. Loans are money you must pay back with interest. And work-study gives students part-time jobs on campus.
15. More than one million international students study in the USA. They apply to each college before its deadline, and they show their English skills with a test like TOEFL or IELTS. They need an F-1 student visa, and they must prove that they can pay for their studies.
16. School life is about more than classes. There is a homecoming game and dance, and prom in high school. Students make yearbooks and join clubs and teams. And at graduation, they wear a cap and gown.
17. To finish, American education is not one single system. Local districts, states and the federal government share the work, so every school is a little different. Thank you for listening. Do you have any questions?