The Concept of A U.S. Elementary School

Not many might be aware that ‘child education’ in the United States is compulsory. It is compulsory by the law in many places all over the world, but in United States the concept of ‘education is every child’s right’ is taken seriously (a thorough example is the ‘No Child Left Behind’ aka the NCLB concept). Governed and even funded by federal, state and local sectors, education in United States here is mainly offered by the public sector.

The school system is divided into 2 systems: public schools and private schools. These private schools are certified by state committees. As rules and regulations differ from place to place, there are some states where home school programs are also approved, and even get a decent patronage.

Now coming to the main talking point, early education in United States is divided into 3 categories which include elementary school, middle school and lastly high school.
A junior high school or an intermediate school is a different way of describing middle school; same is the case with a secondary school which gets substituted for a high school. College system (and later universities) starts when the high school period is over.

A U.S. elementary school may accommodate formative years from kindergarten level to 5th grade. However, there are variations wherein the elementary school system extends to 6th grade or gets reduced till the 4th grade.

The curriculum changes state to state, and even district to district. There are separate committees for this purpose. Mostly, basic subjects are taught to the elementary school students, while they mostly remain in the same classroom even as teachers change. Elementary schools have basic levels of physical education and exercise where students move out of the comfort of classrooms and play in open grounds.

Stress is also given on music and art based education. All in all, as elementary school years start or for that matter cover all aspects of learning, this phase is often called as the molding ground for children.

Lastly, many people believe that the journey from elementary to high school isn’t important; instead college years decide a person’s career path. This is not fully true. No doubt, college years are closely connected to your careers, but what you learn as a child makes you what you showcase as a collegian.