Education in the U.S.

Whenever I met someone who doesn't live in Croatia, one of the first topics I talk about with this person is educating system in his or her country. For example, In Germany they must learn Latin for six years including reading Caesar's books, translating them and writing whereas in Croatia we have Latin for two years and learn grammar, quotes and words that appear in our books. In Scotland, high school is called Academy whereas in Croatia Academy refers to higher level of education where person gets a degree in arts. In France they have up to seven mandatory subjects they can choose on their own whereas in Croatia, in gymnasium, you have up to 16 mandatory subjects. As you can see, education systems vary from country to country. What interests me lately is American education system about which I did a little research and would like to present you.

source: Diagram of education in the U.S.

In the U.S. children can go attend public schools, private schools (privately funded) and can be home schooled. Officially, compulsory education starts at the age of 5, but children can attend pre-kindergarten. At the age of five children start attending elementary school that lasts 6 grades if school follows "6-3-3" plan. This plan means that elementary school has six grades (finished at the age 12), junior high school or middle school lasts from grade 7 to 9 (finished at the age of 15) and high school that lasts from grades 10 to 12. In every state students must take "Standardized tests" every year in which they must show improvement and  reach a minimal education level. Education is compulsory for all students until they are 16 years old and can drop out of school and find a job, but the chances of finding a good job are smaller than for students who finish their high school completely. After graduating from high school students can choose from various colleges that offer undergraduate degrees (associate's degree or bachelor's degree) and universities that offer bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and doctorates. It is common for high school graduates to take a gap year before they go to college for travel or work. 

What is common in the U.S. is school bus which is typically designed for student transport. School buses are painted yellow because it is color most easily seen in the dark. Buses are specially equipped with safety devices and used for transport from student's homes to schools. More than half of the student population is transported by school buses.

In my opinion, every country's educational system is different in some way or the other, but I think the U.S. has the most unique system of them all. You are free to leave comments on this post.