Education in the USA

Education in the USA

Local Management
The management of educational institutions, public and private, depends on local and municipal governments. For this reason, there is no uniform educational system for the entire American Union, except for military academies and schools for Native Americans.
The Federal Government, for its part, exercises supervisory functions over the educational regions and must ensure, among other aspects, that equal opportunities are granted to all children resident in each school district, regardless of their immigration status.

Means
The financing of public education, consequently, depends on the taxes collected by local governments, especially the one that depends on the property tax.
By this decentralization, it is often observed that the best schools are located in the educational areas where the most affluent neighbors live, which generate a greater volume of taxes than those in the lower income areas.

Levels
Education in the US It is divided into four basic levels:
–Preschool
–Primary
–High school
–Higher education

Preschool:
Kindergartens, known as “Pre-K” or “pre-kindergarten,” offer education to four- and five-year-old children. The “Pre-K” is financed by the state government and, in addition to being free, almost always include feeding students.

Primary:
The primary education program ranges from “Kindergarten” to fifth grade. The registration is free and includes the school bus transportation service.
The first cycle of secondary education is known as “Middle” or “Junior High School” and covers the sixth to the eighth grade of education.

High school:
Secondary begins after the fifth year of primary education and covers from year 6 to year 12.

Higher education:
In the USA, higher education allows the student to obtain partial diplomas as they advance in their study program. Thus, after the first two school years of “College” or University, the student chooses a certificate of “Associate” in various areas of specialization. Two years of studies later the student will choose the title of “Bachelor” which is a kind of degree. The “Master” diploma is awarded after two regular years of postgraduate studies and the Ph.D. after four years of regular postgraduate courses.
All these periods of study can be shortened if the student absorbs a greater number of courses per semester, with the approval of the Study Council of each educational institution. The second cycle of Secondary Education or “High School” includes education between grades nine to twelve.
The “College” or “Community college” offers, in general, basic and intermediate courses that allow the student to obtain the degree of “Associate”. In some cases, these institutions grant “Bachelor” diplomas in certain disciplines. The advantage of these schools is that they are subsidized by the State and are cheaper than private institutes. It is common to note that many students start their studies in a “College” and after passing the second year they move to a university to opt there to the title of “Bachelor”.
The requirements to enter the “College” and the University are similar and include tests such as the SAT, which measures the student’s ability in mathematics and English, and, in the case of foreign students, the “TOEFL” (Test of English as a Foreign Language) which is a test to know the student’s ability to function in English.

Costs of Education
While the State guarantees free access for students to primary and secondary education institutes, the panorama changes at the university and postgraduate levels.
Although the universities are partially subsidized by the government, the cost of tuition per student can range between US$ 7,000 and US$ 20,000 per academic year, at the undergraduate level, and double at the graduate level. To this enrollment, amounts must still be added to the expenses corresponding to housing, maintenance, books, and transportation.

For more information, we recommend visiting the site infousa.state.gov/education