The American educational system comprises 12 grades of study over 12 calendar years of primary and secondary education before graduating, and often becoming eligible for admission to higher education.[15] After pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, there are five years in primary school (normally known as elementary school). After completing five grades, the student will enter junior high or middle school and then high school to get the high school diploma.[15]
The U.S. uses ordinal numbers (e.g., first grade) for identifying grades. Typical ages and grade groupings in public and private schools may be found through the U.S. Department of Education. Generally, elementary school (k-5), middle school (6-8), and high school (9-12). However there are a rising number of variations the most popular being elementary (k-4), intermediate (5-6), middle (7-8), and high school (9-12).[16] Many different variations exist across the country.
| Elementary school | |
| Preschool | 3-4 |
| Pre-kindergarten | 4-5 |
| Kindergarten | 5-6 |
| 1st Grade | 6-7 |
| 2nd Grade | 7-8 |
| 3rd Grade | 8-9 |
| 4th Grade | 9-10 |
| 5th Grade | 10-11 |
| Middle school | |
| 6th Grade | 11-12 |
| 7th Grade | 12-13 |
| 8th Grade | 13-14 |
| High school | |
| 9th Grade (Freshman) | 14-15 |
| 10th Grade (Sophomore) | 15-16 |
| 11th Grade (Junior) | 16-17 |
| 12th Grade (Senior) | 17-18 |
| Post-secondary education | |
| Tertiary education (College or University) | Ages vary, but often 18–22 (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior years) |
| Vocational education | Ages vary |
| Graduate education | Ages vary |
| Adult education | Ages vary |
Community college typically offer two-year associate's degrees, although some community colleges offer a limited number of bachelor's degrees. Some community college students choose to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor's degree. Community colleges are generally publicly funded and offer career certifications and part-time programs.
Four-year institutions may be public or private colleges or universities.
Most public institutions are state universities, which are sponsored by state governments and typically receive funding through some combination of taxpayer funds, tuition, private donations, federal grants, and proceeds from endowments. State universities are organized in a wide variety of ways, and many are part of a state university system. However, not all public institutions are state universities. The five service academies, one for each branch of the armed forces, are completely funded by the federal government; the academies train students (cadets or midshipmen) to be commissioned officers in exchange for a mandatory term of military service. Additionally, some local governments (counties and cities) have four-year institutions of their own - one example is the City University of New York.
Private institutions are privately funded and there is wide variety in size, focus, and operation. Some private institutions are large research universities, while others are small liberal arts colleges that concentrate on undergraduate education. Some private universities are nonsectarian while others are religiously affiliated. While most private institutions are non-profit, a number are for profit.
Curriculum varies widely depending on the institution. Typically, an undergraduate student will be able to select an academic major or concentration, which comprises the main or special subjects, and students may change their major one or more times.
Some students, typically those with a bachelor's degree, may chose to continue on to graduate or professional school. Graduate degrees may be either master's degrees (e.g., M.S., M.B.A., M.S.W.) or doctorates (e.g., Ph.D., J.D., M.D.). Academia-focused graduate school typically includes some combination of coursework and research (often requiring a thesis or dissertation), while professional school (e.g., medical, law, business) grants a first professional degree and aims to prepare students to enter a learned profession.
