American schools and everything about them. School in America: internal rules, subjects, terms of study

The education system in the United States is different from what we are used to: American students receive secondary education for 12 years, the year is divided into two semesters, and the grading system is based on a letter designation.

International students typically begin their studies in middle or high school in an American school.

High school in America is called Middle School (grades 6-8) or Junior High School (grades 7-9). People come here from the age of 11. During this time, students study a set of compulsory subjects (mathematics, English, natural sciences, social studies and art) and several elective subjects (journalism, rhetoric, theater arts and many others).

High school - grades 9 to 12 (High School) or 11 to 12 (Senior High School). There are more and more subjects to choose from, and students are already focusing on their goals for entering a university. Schools in America offer a wide range of subjects, from agricultural engineering to 3D design.

To obtain a High School Diploma, you typically need to complete 20–24 credits (special education units) of required and elective courses in grades 9–12. Each credit is the result of studying one subject during one academic year. Credit requirements may vary by state.

Why USA

America is a country of opportunity, a multicultural society and a high standard of living. The world's business and economic elite are concentrated here. US universities occupy the highest positions in authoritative rankings. Studying at school in the USA is the first step to entering a prestigious university and brilliant career prospects.

The American education system is considered one of the most progressive. In US schools, participation in real scientific and technical developments is encouraged, leadership skills and the ability to defend one’s point of view are developed.

In recent years, the USA has become a priority destination for Russian schoolchildren. Parents see more opportunities for their children in America than, for example, in densely populated Europe, where it can be difficult to obtain a work visa and put the education to use.

US private schools are the most prestigious secondary educational institutions. Here, children are purposefully prepared for admission to leading universities, including elite Ivy League universities. Career consultants work with high school students, so the students already know what they want to become and choose subjects depending on their future specialty.

Foreign students prefer to study in private schools in America, and here's why:

a higher level of student preparation (which reflects the percentage of those admitted to top universities);
small classes (10-15 people), where teachers can pay attention to everyone;
teachers who are interested in their work and the success of students;
technological classes and laboratories;
excellent conditions for sports and creativity.

Private boarding schools in the USA are a safe and picturesque area with educational buildings and residential residences.

Much attention is paid to physical training. Parents of athletically gifted children often choose schools that, without interruption from their studies, prepare their children for a professional sports career.

Educational programs of American schools

Each state has at least 50 private schools, each of which is an independent educational unit with its own administration and teaching staff.

American schools do not offer a single curriculum with the same set of subjects for all students. There are compulsory subjects and optional subjects. The older a child gets, the more subjects he can choose - in accordance with his plans for higher education.

To gain an advantage upon admission, students can take Honors courses and choose one or more AP (Advanced Placement) courses. The higher the level of a school, the more AP classes it offers.

In some educational institutions you can study under the international high school program IB (International Baccalaureate), the results of which are accepted by universities around the world.

Cost of education

Tuition fees at US private schools start at $39,300 per year. This amount usually includes accommodation, food, insurance, and educational materials. Excursions and extracurricular activities are paid additionally.

When to apply

The ideal age to start school in America is 11–13 years old. At this time, it is easiest for a child to adapt to a new system, make friends, and get comfortable in another country. By high school, it will be easier for him to choose subjects to study and the direction of preparation for university.

We recommend starting preparation for admission a year before the start of your studies. Each school has its own admission requirements, and conditions may vary by state. In some American schools, in addition to providing grades for the last 2-3 years of study, it is necessary to pass testing in individual subjects.

How can we help?

IQ Consultancy specialists will help you understand the variety of US schools and choose the one that is right for your child and will reveal his potential.

We will help:

understand all the intricacies of entry requirements;
improve your English and pass TOEFL;
prepare a motivation letter;
successfully pass an interview with the school admissions committee;
complete all necessary documents and visa.

We will keep in touch with the chosen school and help resolve all possible difficulties and force majeure. If necessary, we will recommend a language camp in the USA, organize a tour of schools if there are several options, and offer the service of supervising the child during the training.

The United States of America is among the international leaders in the quality of education. According to the United Nations, the US education system in 2019 had an Education Index of 0.903, with a maximum possible value of 1. A large number of foreigners seek to enroll in American higher education institutions.

Specifics of the American educational system

In the USA, the educational system is not controlled centrally (by the Department of Education), but at the local level. Each state has an elected office that draws up educational plans and monitors their implementation. The function of the federal government is limited to financing educational institutions that are state-owned.

The American model of education is based on the principle of Liberal Arts. It involves students making an independent choice of life values and bearing responsibility for this choice. While still at school, students have the right to study those subjects that will be useful to them when obtaining a future specialty.

In American educational institutions, the number of hours of theoretical courses is kept to a minimum. Most classes are practical: students are given specific life problems that they have to solve using their existing knowledge.

Stages of education in America: preschool, elementary school, high school and higher education. We will talk about them in more detail later.

Preschool institutions

Preschool education is the first stage, which is known as Preschool. Within its framework, there are nursery groups for children from 2 years old, day schools and childcare centers for children aged 3-4 years.

Some of these establishments are open 24 hours a day. Their visit, as in most countries, is not mandatory.

Kindergartens in the USA operate on a commercial basis. Average monthly fees range from $850 to $1,200.

Preschool education in America is aimed at the comprehensive development of every child. Teachers help children learn to speak correctly, play with them, teach them to dance, draw, stage skits, and so on. There is no clear educational program for such centers.

From the age of 5, every child can attend a preparatory class. Most of them work in schools.

Preparatory classes are free and funded by each state government. Here children are prepared for school, taught to read, count, write, and helped to adapt to the team. In parallel, there are also private paid training centers.

Many states issue certificates of preschool education. They indicate the name of the institution the child attended, the period of study, and characterize behavior and abilities. In some primary schools, such a certificate is a prerequisite for enrollment.

Primary School

Primary education in the United States is compulsory, known as Elementary School. Training lasts for 5 years: from 1st to 5th grades. All children must attend primary school from 6 to 11 years of age.

Students are assigned to classes after passing an IQ test based on their abilities. Elementary schools in the United States include public, private, and parochial institutions.

The training program includes the following academic disciplines:

arithmetic;
letter;
reading.

Little time is devoted to social and natural sciences. Most often they are combined in a subject such as local history.

All disciplines are taught by one teacher. The only exceptions are music, fine arts and physical education. The quality content of the program is not regulated at the state level.

In many states, elementary schools spend large amounts of time on field trips, art projects, and other forms of learning through fun.

Many immigrants from Russia are interested in whether there are Russian schools in America. It should be noted that there are no educational institutions in the country where teaching takes place exclusively in Russian. Nevertheless, there are charter (contract) schools whose curriculum includes the Russian language and literature.

Such institutions are public and free. But, unlike regular American schools, they are independent and free from many restrictions. Charter schools are small in size, ranging from 200 to 400 students.

high school

Secondary Education in the United States consists of two levels: junior and senior high schools.

Specifics of junior high school

The Middle School provides education for children for 3 years – from 6th to 8th grades. That is, students attend junior high school from 11 to 13 years of age.

Compulsory subjects include English, mathematics, natural and social sciences, and physical education. Junior high school in the USA provides for the formation of classes with various specializations. Those who have special abilities in a particular discipline attend classes with in-depth study of it.

In the 8th grade, students are given the right to independently choose some subjects that they would like to study. The choice must be made between art, foreign languages, and technologies.

After finishing the 8th grade, the time comes for High School - senior secondary school.

Both compulsory subjects and specialized disciplines are taught here, which are chosen by the students themselves.

To obtain an education document, each student must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

study mathematics for 3 years;
take a 4-year course in literature;
from 2 to 4 years, take a course in social sciences, including history and government of the United States;
complete a 1-2 year physical education program.

The specialized disciplines presented to students to choose from include:

Informatics;
computer graphics and web design;
statistics;
editing and journalism;
theatrical arts;
dancing;
foreign languages;
art;
labor training and others.

Senior secondary school must be attended for 4 years - from 9th to 12th grades. Teenagers aged 14-18 years study here. Thus, it becomes clear at what age Americans graduate from high school.

Some US schools provide 13th grade - the so-called Advanced Placement Program. It can be attended by those who have a desire to study in depth the disciplines that will be specialized at the university.

After graduating from the 13th grade and passing the exam with at least 3 points out of the maximum 5, you can immediately enroll in the second year of university. Students who graduate from this class with honors are eligible for admission to Princeton, Yale, and Harvard universities.

Studying under such a program provides benefits for admission to universities not only in the United States, but also in Canada, Great Britain and over 50 other countries.

The full answer to the question of how many classes there are in American schools is: 12, with the opportunity to extend education into the 13th grade under the Advanced Placement Program.

The road to prestigious universities in the country also opens up for graduates of boarding schools. These are private elite educational institutions with permanent residence for students, where they provide the opportunity to study in depth a certain set of disciplines. Their advantage is small classes, designed for no more than 15 people.

The teaching staff is highly professional. Famous boarding schools in the USA: Berkshire School, Hoosac School, Cheshire Academy (IB School), Lawrence Academy, Wyoming Seminary Prep School.

School final exams

After graduating from high school, students must take the final Scholastic Aptitude Test - SAT I or SAT II. The difference between these two types of tests is the focus and level of difficulty:

SAT I is taken by those planning to attend mid-level colleges or universities;
SAT II is required for those who intend to continue their studies at the best universities in the country.

After passing exams in American schools, graduates receive diplomas of complete secondary education.

Higher education in the United States is organized according to the following structure:

Bachelor's Degree. The program lasts 4 years and includes 30 subjects. Upon completion of training, students defend their final projects, receive diplomas and a bachelor's degree.
Master's Degree. The training lasts 1-2 years. Students engage in scientific projects in their chosen field of knowledge. At the end of the studies, exams are taken. Graduates receive diplomas and a master's degree. Economists are awarded the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
Doctoral studies (Advanced Professional Degree). After receiving higher education in the USA in a master's program, you can enroll in doctoral studies. You need to study here for 2-3 years, the training ends with the defense of a dissertation and the awarding of a PhD (Doctoral Level) to the graduate.
Doctoral studies in the Postgraduate/Postdoctoral Level program. This is the highest and most prestigious degree. Only those who have PhD degrees and also have a large number of research papers and projects are eligible to study under this program.

Diplomas from American universities are valued all over the world.

Universities that offer only bachelor's programs, engage exclusively in student education, and do not engage in research activities are called colleges. Richard Bland College (Petersburg, Virginia), Baruch College (New York, New York), Hunter College (New York, New York) and others are popular.

Liberal arts colleges are also known as “liberal arts colleges.” Among the most popular according to the 2019 rating:

Williams (Williamstown, Massachusetts);
Amherst (Amherst, Massachusetts);
Swarthmore (Swarthmore, Pennsylvania) and Wesley (Massachusetts).

Universities are higher education institutions that, in addition to bachelor's degrees, offer master's and doctoral programs. One university may have several colleges; for example, at Yale University there are 14.

There are private universities and state universities. Among the first, the most authoritative (not only on a national, but also on a global scale) are considered to be universities that are members of the Ivy League association. These are 8 universities:

Brownovsky (Providence, Rhode Island).
Harvard (Cambridge, Massachusetts).
Dartmouth (Hanover, New Hampshire).
Yale (New Haven, Connecticut).
Columbia (New York City, New York).
Cornell (Ithaca, New York).
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
Princeton (Princeton, New Jersey).

Among the popular universities of private ownership are New York universities: City, Rockefeller, Yeshiva and others.

State universities are funded by local governments. They are focused on educating the people of their state. Tuition fees for representatives of other states are higher in them.

Some of the most popular universities of this type are the University of California (Berkeley), Michigan (Ann Arbor), and Virginia (Charlottesville).

The quality of education in the United States depends on the form of ownership of the university. As practice shows, at state universities there are larger groups; teachers pay much less attention to each student, which is why the quality of education suffers.

Length of the school year in the USA

In most schools, the school year starts in late August - early September and lasts about 170-186 days (depending on the state). Children attend school from Monday to Friday.

The schedule is for 5-6 hours a day. One lesson lasts 30-45 minutes, recess is 2-5 minutes, lunch break is 30 minutes.

Answering the question about how long vacations last in the USA, let us clarify that their duration differs in different states - there is no single state vacation scheme.

Summer holidays usually begin at the end of May - early June and last on average about 10 weeks. In the middle of the year there are holiday breaks: Thanksgiving (4 to 5 days), Christmas (about 14 days), Easter (about 7 days).

The academic year is divided into two semesters, and in some universities - into three trimesters. There are universities that have introduced a 4th summer semester, which is optional.

American grading system

The grading system in US schools is letter, five-point.

The designations P (pass) and N (fail) are also used.

Teachers are not allowed to announce student scores in front of the entire class. It is believed that each student should focus solely on his or her own progress, and that a person's motivation may suffer from any comparison.

The academic grading system in the United States is also letter grade. Each letter represents a certain percentage of knowledge.

Letter designation	Knowledge percentage	Equivalent in traditional grading system
A	From 95 to 100	5
A-	From 90 to 94	5
B+	From 85 to 89	4
IN	From 80 to 84	4
IN-	From 75 to 79	4
C+	From 70 to 74	3
WITH	From 65 to 69	3
WITH-	From 60 to 64	3
D+	From 55 to 59	3
D	From 50 to 54	3
F	From 0 to 49	2

Scores up to 60% of knowledge (that is, those located on the scale below C) are included in the fail category.

How much does it cost to study in the USA?

At a private university, the average cost of tuition in the United States per year ranges from $15,000 to $35,000. At some universities this amount reaches $50,000. Tuition at state universities is cheaper: from $10,000 to $20,000 per year. This does not include accommodation, the cost of textbooks and other student expenses.

To “cheap” the cost of studying at a higher educational institution, you can study in college for the first two years, and then enter the third year of university. College tuition costs range from $5,000 to $7,000 per year.

Free study in the USA is possible in three cases: if the applicant has won a grant, received a personal scholarship, or got a job on a university campus.

English courses in the United States

In American language schools, everyone, including foreigners, has the opportunity to take courses aimed at deepening their knowledge of English and improving their speaking skills. Language courses in the USA can be:

are common;
academic;
for business;
for passing TOEFL, IELTS exams;
for teachers, doctors, representatives of other professions, and so on.

The cost of general courses ranges from $200 to $350 per week, specialized courses range from $300 to $500.

In the United States, there are summer language schools and camps where children and teenagers from various countries have the opportunity to receive high-quality language training.

Summer training in America is also carried out in accordance with combined programs: “English language and sports”, “English language and photography”, “English language and theater arts” and so on.

Interesting facts about the American education system

We bring to your attention a selection of the most interesting facts about education in the USA:

What makes education in the USA different from Russia is that in America there is no holiday symbolizing the beginning of the school year (analogous to September 1). Children start school at different times in different states (as discussed earlier).
Admission to many municipal schools is carried out exclusively at the place of residence. If parents want to send their child to an educational institution located in a certain area, but they themselves live in another, they need to purchase housing near the school. That is why the quality of education is one of the pricing factors for residential real estate in the United States.
On average, the country's government spends about $12,000 per year on each free school student.
Foreigners who are under 35 years of age can receive a second education in the United States.
The US Commission on Civil Rights controls college enrollment for men and women. If the number of boys or girls exceeds 60%, their admission is stopped.
In American universities it is allowed to study in two specialties at once. At the same time, you can receive both two complete higher educations, and one complete (major) and one incomplete (minor) professional education in the USA.
At the time of admission to a university, an applicant does not need to know what specialty he wants to study in. If a person has not decided, he must put the status undeclared in the questionnaire. During the first two years, all students attend general education subjects, so there is time to choose a profession.

Today in American universities you can register for the next semester online. Students have the right to choose teachers whose subjects they want to attend, based on the rating presented on the educational institution’s website.

conclusions

Let's list the pros and cons of American education. So, its advantages include:

great attention to personality formation;
game-based learning;
strict confidentiality at all levels of education;
high quality of educational services (for example, most university teachers are holders of a doctorate degree);
focus on individual preferences, abilities and skills of students and their future profession;
recognition of American diplomas throughout the world;
deep integration with employers and broad employment prospects;
availability of grants and scholarships.

Among the main disadvantages are:

high prices for training;
high competition for admission to prestigious universities;
the problem of public universities lagging behind private ones in terms of the quality of educational services;
significant workload for students;
the high cost of textbooks.

However, the number of people coming from abroad to the United States for education is not decreasing. After all, a diploma from an American university allows you to count on work in almost any country.

Advantages of education in the USA: Video

In the United States, parents have a choice of where to send their child to study: to a public free school, a fairly expensive private school, to a so-called private school, for which both parents and the state pay, or even leave the child to study at home. ForumDaily studied the pros and cons of each of the above options.

Public schools

School years in the United States begin at the age of five or six. It is at this age that children go to the so-called Kindergarden, or “K” (pronounced “kay”). This is already part of free compulsory school education - the so-called public schools. The duration of schooling is 12 years.

School education for children up to 16-18 years of age (depending on the state) is compulsory. It is usually divided into several stages: 6 years of primary school, 3 years of secondary school and another 3 years of higher school, or high school. But there are also options for 5-3-4 years, old-fashioned 8-4 and 6-6 years. When choosing a school with an 8-4 plan, the child spends the first eight years in elementary school, and then goes straight to high school for four years. 6-6 means that after six years of primary school the child enters a mixed secondary-high school.

What plan schools propose depends directly on the guidance of the city department of education and the preferences of each individual state government. It’s hard for us to imagine, but there is not a single education law, not even a single school curriculum in the United States. The national government has handed over the reins of school education to the states, each of which has an education department with its own vision of schools. Subordinate to him are the city education departments, which control public schools.

An indicator of the quality of education in a public school is its rating: it ranges from 1 to 10. Accordingly, the higher, the better. A number of factors influence the rating of schools: the amount of funding (money for schools comes from the state budget and city property taxes), student performance, test success, etc. The rating of a school in your area can be found on special websites:

School ratings are so important that they even affect the cost of nearby houses. In areas with good schools it is always significantly higher. The fact is that in the vast majority of cases you cannot choose a public school. The child will go to school, which is assigned to the area of residence. Because of this restriction, some lucky owners of the “correct” addresses even make an illegal business - they rent out addresses to unfortunates who are not in the area of the desired school.

However, often in large cities and small overpopulated areas there are not enough places in high-rated schools for all the children living in the area, and then these places are awarded by lottery. If the child loses, they are sent to the school where there are free places.

Applications for participation in the lottery must be submitted long before the start of the school year - in January or February, sometimes even in September - a year after admission. Lottery results can also come at different times - both in March and in August, a few weeks before the start of the school year. The exact deadlines for submitting documents and receiving a response should be obtained from your local education department.

What does an immigrant need?

To enroll a child in school, an immigrant who arrives even in the middle of the school year needs a minimum of documents:

- vaccination card translated by the parent himself;

— confirmation of place of residence (water or internet bill, rental agreement, etc.).

That's all. Confirmation of the legality of the child’s stay in the country is not required - school education is available to everyone. For children who go straight to secondary or higher school, a list of subjects with the number of hours is also not needed.

Charter schools

Charter schools are something between a public and private school, they also have their own rating d. The state allocates money for each student, but the school also collects contributions from parents. They are voluntary - the amount can range from several tens to thousands of dollars. The result is a kind of learning by sharing.

As a rule, the teaching system in such schools differs from the standard one - it could be a Waldorf school or Montessori. There are currently more than 1,200 employees in the United States charter schools, where almost 600 thousand children study.

Private schools

Private schools are another fairly popular type of school in the United States. Training in them, of course, is paid.

The average cost in the country is about $9.5 thousand.ranking of the most expensive private schools In the first positions are states such as New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut - where, on average, tuition costs more than $20 thousand per year. In California, on average, a private school costs $12.5 thousand, but in the heart of Silicon Valley - in the city of Palo Alto - a private school will cost $26 thousand. Litchfield County, Connecticut, the most expensive in the field of private school education, is also impressive, with an incredible $46 thousand per year But for residents of Nebraska or Wisconsin, a private school will cost only $3-4 thousand a year.

Public vs. private school

Elena Odintsova came with her two daughters from Moscow to Palo Alto two years ago. The eldest, Dasha, had just turned four and a half years old - it was time for Kindergarden. Actually, the choice when moving to Palo Alto fell precisely because of the schools. The right to get into a good local public school had to be won in a lottery, and Dasha won it. A school with a rating of 9, primary school graduates pass all tests perfectly, classes are well equipped, highly educated teachers, an art focus - in a word, a dream. However, after a few weeks, Elena realized that she expected more from a school with such a rating: “They don’t teach children self-discipline at all. In addition, a lot depends on the environment. And if all the children go to school unkempt and ragged, it’s difficult for my daughter to adhere to any dress code.”

In Dasha's class there was one teacher for every 30 students. Children, in principle, were not forced to study. Parents of other schoolchildren hired private teachers to teach their children to read and write. By the middle of second grade, Elena decided to transfer her child from a public school to a private one.

Elena Odintsova with her daughters. Photo from the family archive

However, Dasha was not accepted into one of the popular networks of private schools - after a year and a half at a public school, she could not pass the entrance test. Elena did not give up, and, in the end, found a nice private school in a neighboring town, where they agreed to help and provide, as part of the regular fee, a teacher who would help Dasha catch up with the program.

Elena says that since October there has been a dramatic change in the girl. Dasha turned out to be a clean and disciplined child, not prone to being late. She wanted to learn and achieve success. The training program fully stimulated such changes. At the end of each week, the kids have a spelling test, and they also constantly write essays. As a working mother, Elena really likes the additional and inexpensive activities on school grounds after the end of the school day - tennis, chess, music breaks. In a word, there would be no happiness, but misfortune would help, Elena jokes now.

Choosing between good and very good

Tatyana Abdikeeva came to San Francisco from St. Petersburg 7 years ago. I started looking for a private school for my youngest daughter, as soon as she turned 2.5 years old. Initially focused onprivate school. I went on a tour of a girls' school in one of the most prestigious areas of San Francisco. According to her,no innovations were introduced there, relying specifically on the old tradition of separate education for girls and boys.

Tatyana had good impressions of the school itself: “The premises are wonderful, there’s nothing to complain about. A good library, classrooms have glass walls. Spacious, clean, lots of air. The girls wear uniforms, even their hairpins match. Of course it looks wonderful. Children express themselves through manicure.”

Tatyana also liked the teachers. However, she believes that the approach to education in this private school is completely standard. “I wanted to be shown how my child's education here would be broader and deeper than in a public or other private school. It looks like they don’t have anything like that,” Tatyana states. But since the school has good teachers, the children simply won’t be able to do poorly, she thinks. Moreover, there is one teacher for every seven children. For comparison: in a public school there are one or two teachers for 30 children.

Tuition at this school costs $29 thousand per year. After the introductory tour, Tatyana thought about it and decided that there was nothing to pay that kind of money for here.

Tatyana Abdikeeva began choosing a school for her daughter in advance. Photo from personal archive

Next on her list was a German bilingual private school, where tuition costs $18,500 a year. For Tatyana, a big plus was that after graduation the children can speak both English and German perfectly. In addition, at the end of secondary school, children choose another language to study (Spanish or French), and in high school they can either choose a fourth language or deepen their existing knowledge. Upon completion, the school issues two diplomas: one American, the second German. With the latter, you can enter European universities. Tatyana liked almost everything about this school, and for now she has chosen this private school, but she still has time to think.

Certificate delivered to your home

Another option to obtain a high school diploma in the United States is homeschooling. This type of free education is quite common - 3.4% of all schoolchildren (and this is more than 1.7 million people ) in the USA they study at home.

Alexey, the ten-year-old son of Ukrainian woman Elena Anikina, has been homeschooled for the second year. Elena and her husband came to Hayward, California, from Canada - Alexey was born there. The California public school near their home no longer suited Elena and Alexey by the end of the second grade. The morning began with the baby's tears - he flatly refused to go to school. When Elena began to figure it out, it turned out that Alyosha completed the tasks before everyone else, and the teacher forced him to solve the same examples in the second round. And then I gave them again as homework.

Elena thought about what to do. She learned from friends that children could be educated at home, and decided to try this option. As a rule, all information about this type of training can be obtained from your local school district.

Elena is now provided with everything she needs for home schooling by a special school , intended for “homeworkers”. There is an excellent library where you can choose textbooks on all subjects. You can choose andtraining program by subject. Textbooks and workbooks are provided for each program.

Alexey has a weekly work plan. If something is not clear, Elena explains it to him. Once a month, mother and son go to report to school. The teacher-curator looks through the workbooks and talks about each subject. These students take a standardized test at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year.

Lena shares the advantages: “Firstly, we all get enough sleep. Secondly, dad has time to study with Alexey for an hour before work.” The child’s day is filled with interest groups: music plus choir, French, robotics, tennis, swimming, chess, drawing, science - on average two or three classes a day. Some of them are paid, some are free. The teacher-curator recommends spending four hours a day directly on mastering the school curriculum. Alexey can do it in three. Myself. “I hardly have to push him. Well, if only sometimes you threaten with school,” Elena smiles.

Today it is considered one of the most progressive in the world. Modern schools in the United States allow students to acquire high-quality knowledge about the planet and society.

Getting an education in schools in this country is a pleasure, because the pedagogy here is based not only on modern trends in American culture, but also on the history of the country. The lessons here will be especially interesting for incoming immigrants.

There are special English language schools in the USA. Language schools help many graduates become philologists. But in any case, the higher the level of language proficiency, the faster a foreigner will be able to join a new team.

Start of education for children

Another distinctive feature of an American-style school is that children enter here not in the 6th year of their life, but in the 5th. Although, it is worth noting the fact that private schools in the USA can accept students at 6 years of age. While for public schools in America the age of the entering child must be 5 years old, even if admission is to a gymnasium.

Admission occurs not in the first, but in the zero class. The first year of a child’s life adapts to new conditions, a different social environment, and this is why grade zero is needed. In his first lessons, he masters the basics of literature, mathematics and language. The child studies at school for 12 years.

A foreign citizen participating in an international exchange program can be admitted to the initial level at an American educational institution. Moreover, it does not matter what type of institution, public or private.

Structure of American education

This country has a three-stage educational system:

Elementary education.
Average.
Senior.

Each of these levels has its own school. They have different levels, number of subjects and unequal curricula. For example, in high school literature is taught more often.

Sports schools in the USA mainly accept older students. In such schools, literature is taught less frequently.

Different specialized institutions have their own tuition fees. For example, medical schools in the United States are considered one of the most expensive. The cost of classes there can reach 55 thousand dollars.

Regardless of the profile of the institution, each of them has its own name.

American charter schools

It is worth noting that the ranking of US schools where foreigners study includes quite a few Russian educational institutions. There is even a school at the Russian Embassy in Washington. Representatives of the Russian Consulate will definitely intervene in the educational process if any difficult or controversial situations arise.

Higher education in the USA does not yet exist for Russians.

Thus, high-quality school education in the United States is available to Russian students.

Elementary education

Primary education classes: from 1 to 5. Children during these years are often taught by 1 teacher. However, there are a number of subjects taught by other teachers, for example, we are talking about music, drawing, physical education, and so on. What children learn:

Arithmetic.
Natural Sciences.
Letter.
Social Sciences.
Reading.

Elementary school in the USA has its own specific feature, which is the division of children by ability. How does division occur? Children must pass a test that determines their level of intellectual ability. Based on this testing, separation occurs.

When a child enters 3rd grade, he is asked to undergo such testing annually. If his level of intelligence has changed, then the child will be transferred to those children who are on the same level as him.

In gifted classes, more homework is assigned, instruction covers more aspects, children are given an abundance of information, and so on. But in classes for slow-growing children, there is almost no homework assigned. And studying in such a class is much easier.

Secondary education

High school in the United States aims to educate children from grades 6 to 8. At this stage, all subjects are taught by different teachers. Students study both general disciplines and those they have chosen themselves. Common items include:

English language.
Mathematics.
Social sciencies.
Physical Culture.
Natural science, etc.

As for the subjects to choose from, the list is quite large, especially in private educational institutions. In some of them, specialized courses are not much different from those taught in colleges and higher education institutions.

The best American schools offer elective language courses. Students can study French, Chinese, German, Latin, etc.

A feature of this educational period is that schoolchildren annually change their team, as classes are reorganized.

When in 1990, Sasha Zueva’s parents told her that she would have to go with them to the USA, she burst into tears: she really didn’t want to part with her classmates. Now Sasha, who recently turned 17, lives in New York, studies at a private American school and communicates with new friends. She comes to Russia only for the summer holidays. On her last visit to Moscow, Sasha told the “i” correspondent how she lives and studies in America.

Seven years ago, my dad was offered to work in the USA, at UNISEF - the World Children's Fund.

I had a good time in Moscow, and besides, I didn’t know English. But - let's go.

In August we flew to New York, and in September we had to go to school. My parents said that the American school was better than the Russian school at the embassy, because there I could learn the language.

And I was accepted into a public American school not far from home. I ended up in a class where there was not a single Russian. I sat in class in silence for two weeks - I didn’t understand anything. Then I was transferred to a lower class; there were three Russians there. The parents decided that it was more important to understand the language than mathematics.

At first I didn’t do any tasks: I just copied words from the book and drew pictures for them. And for a whole year I went to a tutor who “taught” me grammar. Gradually I began to read and talk, and after a year I understood everything without difficulty and did my homework myself.

The school was not very strong - there were few good teachers. Almost all lessons we sat in the same class, and did not move from one office to another, as in Moscow. And the classes were taught by the same teacher. When we came to class, we didn’t even know what the lesson would be - until she, for example, said: “Well, let’s do math.” It’s good that we didn’t have to carry textbooks with us to school - we left them in our desks.

So I studied for two years - fourth and fifth grade (at the same time I finished sixth grade as an external student at the Russian school at the embassy).

The fifth grade was the last at this school, and my parents began to think about where I should study next. Our friends advised us to choose a private school.

There are three good private schools in our area. In one there were many Russians, in the second there was a very developed atmosphere of competition. Neither of these suited me. I liked the third one - Fieldston School, where they sent me. But to be honest, my parents were not very interested in my opinion, it’s just that in this case our views coincided.

To transfer from a public school to a decent private one, you need to have good grades, a reference from your previous school, and also pass a test in English and mathematics. All this needs to be done in January-February, since the results are already announced in March.

They wanted to put me in 6th grade, but I protested - I was tired of being the oldest in the class. Then I was enrolled in the sixth grade of the embassy school and accepted into the seventh.

Fieldston School is an expensive school, but it has a fund from which some students pay part of their education - based on exam results. And I wouldn’t say that only children of rich parents study there. There are kids at school from absolutely terrible areas. Teachers try to make everyone friends so that social differences are not noticeable.

But still the poor are friends with the poor, and the rich with the rich. I'm friends with average people.

At first I was a little shy of everyone. I was embarrassed by the fact that many schoolchildren live in their own houses, and I live in an apartment. And when I went to school for the first time, I was very afraid that I would be poorly received. I thought there were only millionaires there who only know how to turn up their noses. But everyone turned out to be very friendly. I remember during lunch I went into the dining room, and although I didn’t know anyone there, all the guys waved their hands at me: “Come to us!”

Later I learned that many schoolchildren - including children of wealthy parents - work part-time in restaurants, in companies - wherever they can.

The school was very large: 720 people! Each class has 100-120 people, this is, in fact, something like a course or stream at a university.

Each student has his own schedule - depending on what you want to do. Therefore, in English I sit with some guys, and, for example, in mathematics - with completely different ones. And every year the class composition and teachers change.

In the 7th and 8th grades you must attend mathematics, biology, and physical education five times a week. In different quarters it was necessary to take drawing, dancing, acting and ethics. And you could choose from two languages out of four - Spanish, Russian, French or Latin. I chose the last two.

For some reason, it seems to me that languages are taught rather poorly in the USA - Americans have no vital need to know a foreign language, because there are few countries nearby where they speak other languages. The only popular foreign language in New York and in the USA in general is Spanish.

At my school in America, the older the class, the more freedom. If in the seventh and eighth grades there are almost no elective subjects, then in the ninth you can choose, for example, between natural history and biology.

The tenth offers a choice of chemistry or physics. And in the eleventh year I decided to study biology at the university level. Every school has these “advanced” courses - and the grade you get for them in the exam at school is counted at the university as the current exam mark for the first or second year.

From the first to the last year of study, mathematics is mandatory at my school. And also English: it includes various courses in literature and history. For example, throughout the tenth grade we studied American literature, and in the eleventh grade we chose between Japanese, Latin American, Russian and others. I took European literature of the twentieth century. I read (naturally, in English) one book each by five writers: Kafka, then another writer from Czechoslovakia - Kander; Flaubert, Camille, but I don’t remember the fifth. Of course, I didn’t take Russian literature - why am I going to read Russian books in English?

At our school, classes last 50 minutes. Lessons start at 8.30 and end at half past two at the earliest. Studying, I must say, is intense, but we often relax - in addition to vacations, there are also American national and Jewish holidays (there are many Jews at Fieldston School, and if they do not go to school, then there is almost no one to conduct classes with).

I also like that in America students are not called to the blackboard. You don’t have to do homework either, but this will come up on the test. It is very important for a teacher how you participate in class discussions.

At the end of the quarter, teachers write feedback about students. They usually write about me: “Sasha is a quiet girl, she hardly participates in discussions”... But they don’t ask me themselves - they don’t want to embarrass me: you never know, or maybe I don’t like speaking?

In general, the atmosphere is democratic, although it cannot be said that there is no discipline at all. I remember how surprised I was when I went to the school cafeteria with my class for the first time. The class is lined up in two lines, with the teacher leading the procession. In front of the stairs he commands like a general: “Stop!” - and everyone stops. Then he says: “Forward!” - and everyone goes smoothly. And in Moscow, as soon as the bell rang for recess, we ran to the dining room like crazy, in a crowd.

And of course, students in America are never rude to teachers. And if the teacher leaves the class during a test, no one even thinks about cheating!

There are things that are strictly prohibited. Recently, two sixth-graders were expelled from our school because they were standing outside the school and smoking weed. And two more 11th grade students who came to class stoned. Now they will not receive a diploma - and this is a tragedy. But almost all the kids there smoke cigarettes - starting from the age of 12. It’s even strange: children in America smoke, but adults don’t. I don't smoke out of principle.

My friends and I (I have four of them - a Ukrainian, a Belarusian and two Americans) have fun in a different way. We go to visit each other, sometimes we go to Manhattan. Our parents let us go - they know that we won’t go to a dangerous place.

We often go to the cinema: cinemas in America are better than in Russia, but the ticket is more expensive - 8 dollars. We have dinner in restaurants, go to discos. From there we get home by taxi. I don't like taking public transport, especially the subway - it's terrible in New York.

There are almost no events held at school that would bring everyone together. But boys are still friends with girls. And in our school I noticed a strange phenomenon - 12th grade boys often court girls from the 9th grade. Everyone condemns this: it’s clear what the big boy wants from the little girl.

Although in the USA, as in Russia, boys lag behind girls in development. American boys are also less courageous than Russians, and even lack initiative. They wait for the girls to start showing them signs of attention. And they do. It's not customary to write love notes, but you can always show a person that you like him...

As for me, I have no time for my personal life now: this fall I am going to the twelfth grade. And at the beginning of the last school year, American schoolchildren take a general exam - mathematics and English, and its results can be sent to universities (according to the rules, a student has the right to send them to 7 universities of his choice). You can also take tests in other subjects. I'll see which subjects I have the best results in and send them to universities.

Along with the test results, you need to submit an essay on a topic given by the university. For example: “If you could meet one of three people - from the past, present or future - who would you choose and what would you talk to them about?” Or: "What do you think about the upcoming presidential election?"

I don’t want to go to Harvard - I was there on an excursion, and I didn’t really like the students. Too smart and ambitious. But just in case, I’ll submit documents there - I want to work in Russia, so it’s better to graduate from a university that people in Russia have heard of.

At first I wanted to become a doctor. But then I realized that I was more interested in working with the people themselves, and not with their insides. My dream is to work as a psychiatrist in prison, to help people who have been abandoned by everyone.

Actually, I can change my mind a hundred times: at US universities you choose a specialization only in the third year. Or, in general, I can study mathematics for all 4 years at the university, and then take it and go to medical school.

I'm still only seventeen years old. Let's see how life turns out.

Alexandra ZUEVA