Education

The American School System

• • • Children in the U.S. enter the public school system by attending kindergarten around the age of 5. They can continue to attend school for free through high school (usually at around age 18), moving up one grade after every school year. The schools your child can attend are usually determined by the “school districts” you live in. School districts are the neighborhoods served by specific schools. These districts also involve parents in decision-making about school functions and activities.
      • If your child is above the age of 5 by August 31st of the current year, they can start kindergarten in the fall
      • If you want to enroll your child in the middle of the school year, that is fine too, and you will indicate that on the enrollment form.
    • Children attend elementary school from ages 5-11, moving in this order:
      • Kindergarten
      • 1st grade
      • 2nd grade
      • 3rd grade
      • 4th grade
      • 5th grade
    • Children attend middle school from ages 12-14 for the next 3 grade years:
      • 6th grade
      • 7th grade
      • 8th grade
    • High school is the last four years of the public school system. Each grade in high school also has a name (which continues in college):
      • 9th grade/ Freshman year
      • 10th grade/ Sophomore year
      • 11th grade/ Junior Year
      • 12th grade/ Senior Year
    • After high school graduation, there is no more required schooling for children as they normally turn 18 and become a legal adult.
    • After high school, many students apply to colleges to get an undergraduate or associates degree to help them get higher paying jobs in the future.
      • While college is not required, it is a helpful tool to being successful in the United States.

The American School Year Schedule

• American schools begin their academic year around the end of August or the beginning of September. The day varies based on school district but it always begins around that time of year.
• There are a few recognized holidays that most school districts have throughout the year:
  • Labor Day
    • A Monday off of school the first week of September
  • Thanksgiving Break
    • The third Thursday of November is Thanksgiving and students often get the Wednesday before and the Friday after off of school.
  • Veterans Day
    • A Monday off of school in the middle of November
  • Winter Break
    • The last two weeks of December students have no school to celebrate religious holidays and the beginning of the new calendar year. Usually begins around the third week of December and ends a few days into January
  • MLK Day
    • A Monday off of school in the second week of January
  • Presidents Day
    • A Monday off of school the second week of February
  • Depending on the school district there might be a week long mid winter break for students.
  • Spring Break
    • A week off of school in the spring either in March or April depending on the school district.
  • Memorial Day
    • A Monday off of school in the last week of May
  • Summer Break
    • This signals the end of the academic school year. Normally lasts from the middle of June to the beginning of September when the new academic year starts again and each child moves up a grade the next year.

The American School Day Schedule

• Most schools begin around 8am and go until around 3pm.
• Parents are required to have their children at school on time each day and pick them up at the end of the day.
  • If parents cannot pick up their child during those times, there are programs at most schools that allow you to drop off or pick up at different times of day or arrange for them to take the school bus to school, but that needs to be coordinated by the parents or guardians of the child.
  • Once a child is old enough to walk or drive to and from school, they are allowed to do that on their own but the parents need to make sure they are at school attending on time each day regardless of how they get there.
• Elementary school Schedule:
  • Often in elementary schools there is one main teacher whose class your child is in all year long with the same class of children. Sometimes there are classes such as art, music, physical education, and computer labs where students will travel with their class to participate in with a specific teacher. These normally do not happen every day and they will mostly be with the same teacher
• Middle and High School Schedule:
  • Middle school is when students begin to have class periods and a more complicated schedule.
  • Students usually have 5-10 minutes between class periods that they are required to get to the next class on time.
  • Class periods are usually 50 minute time periods, but depending on the school or the day, they might be longer or shorter.
  • Example below: