British English with Joel & Lia here in America children don't go to public school until they are 5. Some public school had preschool for kids age 4 but a lot don't. As a parent you can send your child at age 3 and 4 to private preschool and pay for it. If your child goes at age 1-3 then it's not school it's called day care or child care. Most kids who go to preschool only go 2 to 3 days a week for about 3 hours only At age 5 it's called kindergarten. Age 6-11 it's called elementary school or first grade, Second grade, third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, Some school grade 6,7&8 are age 11,12 &13, and it's called middle school or jr high. Then high school is for age 14-18 or ninth grade (freshman)10th grade (sophomore)11th grade(juniors) and 12th grade (seniors) you can't leave school till you turn 18. They have something here called the Becca bill and if you try and leave school before you were 18 they will consider you truant they will find you and put you in detention and make you pay fines and make you go back to school till your 18.
Being British: Joel & Lia ...In America we have only 3 schools you go to...Elementary is Grades Kindergarten to 6.....Middle School is grades 7-8....Highschool is Grades 9 to 12....Then you Graduate and go to college if you choose. Most College Programs are 4 years, depending on what you want to study. Where I live, the children do not wear uniforms, Although I would have preferred it when my daughter was in school because she only wanted designer name brand clothing and shoes. Thank goodness my choice of College Study was Nursing, otherwise I couldn't afford to buy my daughter's clothing...lol :) Our children are not required to start school until the age of 6, but you can send them at 5 years old. They can go to Pre-school at ages 3-4 or even 5 years old depending on weather or not a parent thinks they are ready for Kindergarten. Everybody in my state pays School tax, weather you have a child in school or not and it doesn't matter weather your child is Graduated from Highschool or you have no children at all, you still pay. If you have children in school, you pay school tax plus yearly school fees for every year your child is in school.
In America we have Pre-school which is optional for 3 year old and 4 year old children. Then we have Elementary School. You have to be 5 years old to go to Elementary School. You start in Kindergarten. Once you pass Kindergarten you go to 1st grade. Elementary school is Kindergarten through 5th grade. Then you go to Middle School which is 6th-8th grades. After that is High School which is 9th-12th. Most children graduate High School at 18 years old. We are required to attend school 180 days per year or our parents can go to jail. Once we graduate from High School we have many choices. We can enter the work force and take a low paying entry level job or attend college (2 year associates degree) or University (4 year bachelor's degree) or a trade school. Trade schools are where you can become hair stylists, electrician, plumber, etc. If you choose University and graduate you can opt to go on to get your masters degree (2 more years). The highest level would be after your masters to get your doctorate. Elementary, Middle and High School is free and provided by our government. College, University and trade schools are paid for by you. A person can walk away owing well over a hundred or two thousand dollars for their post high school education. If we meet certain income requirements we can get a $4000 grant from the government per year up to 4 years of University. We also have government student loans that are paid back monthly starting 6 months after getting your degree. The payment can be hundreds of dollars a month until it's paid for. I work in the medical field and know some doctors who are much older and still paying their loans. Anything over the amount of grants and loans is your responsibility. With the cost of education in America it is hard for anyone who comes from low income to advance themselves because they do not have the funding to attend post-secondary education. The number of students fighting for private scholarships is unbelievable. Education is a huge topic in America right now. Every person who runs for a government office has promised change but once they get elected they forget about all their promises.
@@Anime_Oni You may like to disagree but you can't. Education has always been separate in Great Britain since its inception in 1707. This is the English system. There isn't a British one.
Well, you're half right about the US. Some unfocused students take a variety of classes until they decide on a major. But you have to declare a major at most schools by your third year and hopefully before. There ARE liberal arts schools that are more general though and obvi there are vocational schools.
I agree with JUJU. Long ago (my time), there were a good number of people who were "undeclared" majors but now I hear that you have to declare from the beginning on your applications (at good 4 year public universities in Calif. anyway) because that is part of whether they will accept you or not.
Obviously, there are exceptions. When applying at Purdue, I had to list my top 2 or 3 choices of colleges with the knowledge I would only be able to be accepted into one. That was rough.
Yeah, if you're attending a vocational or University in the US they make you delcare a major so you have a clear path, but community colleges, I went for 3 years and stayed undecided and took a bunch of random stuff.
Unfocused students? General Education programs are a thing at ALL schools! Liberal Arts or not. You have to take a RANGE of classes to get a feel for what interests you. Which is the entire point.
Majority of schools make you declare a major by end of sophomore or early junior year tops. The vast majority of the schools I applied to did not ask for major as it isn't necessary right away.
In my country you can legally drop out at 17 but you can drop out earlier if you are doing an apprenticeship or employed in some form of tertiary education like a tafe course in hairdressing or something.
I never understood UK college until I watched Skins. I actually wish we had the same format in the states. I will say that I'm a big fan of one year grad school over in the UK. If only they would have accepted me :*(
Great explanation. I watch several bloggers from the UK and I’ve always wonders how the education system there works. I hear them talk about GCSE’s and sixth form. Now I understand it. Here in the US we have the option of going to vocational-technical school during junior & senior year (year 11&12 for us) where we can learn trades like computer specialties, nursing, mechanics, cosmetology, etc free of charge.
Thank you so much fo explaining it in such a simple way. I'm kind of writing a short story right now and I was so confused about how your educational system worked. It is so different from Brazil! Again, thank you so much.
Thanks for this video! Super informative. I am planning to study abroad somewhere in the UK (from the US) in a year so this was interesting and helpful for me to hear.
College and university are used interchangeably in the U.S. high school is from 14-18 and it’s before college/university. Year one of high school and college is freshman, second year of both is sophomore, third year of both is junior, fourth year of both is senior. It’s expected that after 4 years of college you will graduate (finish) with a bachelors degree. You can apply to continue your education by entering a program to earn your masters degree in a specific field like engineering, social work, fine arts, etc. From there you have apply to enter a PhD program and that’s even more work. The people I know with PhDs spent pretty much all of their 20s earning their PhD. Then there are the 2 major “professions,” doctor and lawyer. I don’t know all the details of medical school but it takes a damn long time. Law school is entered after you complete a bachelors degree then you have to take the law school admission test (LSAT) and your grades from college combined with your LSAT score will help you decide which law schools to apply to. Law school is typically 3 years and upon successfully completing it, you have a Juris Doctor (JD). Then you have to study for the bar exam which is administered in every state. If you pass, you are licensed in the state where you say the exam (there are some exceptions to this that are too specific to get into).
Thanks for this! I'm an American ex-pat in the UK for 7 years and I have never been able to figure out the Educational System in the UK. Your video spells it out very clearly but I will still need to watch it a few times before I understand it. I think the UK system is far more complex.
This has literally nothing to do.with this video, but you two are both incredibly good looking, funny, and intelligent. I love letting your videos autoplay while I'm at work because your voices soothe me enough to not want to choke people out. ;)
In the uk, compulsory education finishes at 18 and you must be in education until then. GCSE's are the foundation of A Level but is the only qualification everybody has to get.
And in Britain today no school has a specialism as it was scrapped under the last government to focus on turning schools into academies (state funded independent schools) but some schools may still brand themselves to have a specialism but technically it means nothing they don't get any extra money for example in that area
Slight correction there, you must remain in education _or training_ until 18. You can go into the workplace if it is on an accredited training scheme and, if you haven't already passed GCSE maths and English, you continue to work towards those as well.
In Brazil there are public schools (free) and private (paid) but depending on the level of knowledge, the quality is completely different. For example.. private secondary and high schools are better in terms of education quality than public ones but the scenery is completely different with the universities... The public universities (free) are much better than the private ones... University of São Paulo is a good example. It is the best university in the entire Latin America... It's a state institution and it is free. Primary School: Age 4 - 9 Secondary School: 10 -14 High School: 15 - 17 (18 in technical schools) In Primary we study: Portuguese and its literatures; Math; History; Science (biology) and Geography. In Secondary: Portuguese; Mathematics; Science (Biology); History; Geography; English; Religions; Arts and Fisical Education High School: Portuguese; Mathematics; Biology; Fisics; Chemistry; Sociology; History; Geography; English; Religions; Arts and Fisical Education These subjects are all required ones (obligated). In Technical High Schools we choose the Area.. like Cience Computer, Administration, etc... And then we have all high schools subjects with technical subjects, that's why it is four years...
Hello guys, it is wonderful that you break down the school system in the UK. I wanted to add that in the US the word college at times it is referred to as University and at times it means Junior College which is the first two years of University. In a Junior college you get to spend less money on the subjects that must be covered in the first two years of University. It also helps the student to rebuild their scholarly average in order to get into a competitive University. University usually is 4 years the student has the option of deciding a field of study or simply entering Undecided and later on decide which field is best. Although you have a field of studies in order to gain a University degree the student is obliged to study other fields. This is due to the fact that they must walk out with some knowledge in general of every field. Thus the University forces the student to study history, English, Math and so forth. In various level beginners and advanced along the field of study chosen. After the University some students proceed in their educational background and they get into a Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) program. The MA program usually runs for 2 years while the MS program is for 3 years. These programs are only concentrated in the field of choice. After the student might want to continue their education and get a Doctorate which usually lasts 4 years.
Good explanation of the "institutions of higher learning" after high school in the US. Allow me to make some comments to amplify this topic. (FYI: I'm an American) A junior college is a different institution from a regular 4-year college or university. And it is indeed usually a 2-year program. And it is indeed usually cheaper than a regular college or university. At the end of the junior college program, if you take the correct mix of classes, you can earn an AA degree (which means Associate of Arts). If you want to just enter the workforce after that, you can tell prospective employers that you have an AA degree. If you want to go on to a regular college or a university after that, to get a Bachelors degree (i.e., a B.S. = Bachelors of Science degree, or a B.A. = Bachelors of Arts degree), that college or university will often accept some credits for the classes you took at the junior college, and apply them to what you need for their B.S. or B.A. degree. This means that you can get your Bachelors degree in less than the normal 4 years if you went to junior college first. And it is often easier to get accepted for admission into a college or university if you already have an AA degree from a junior college. And, yes, students in the US don't have to have an area of specialization chosen before going to a college or university. Once there though, if you want a Bachelors degree, you have to identify and specify what you are "majoring" in at some point. And then you have to take the correct mix of classes for that "major". But for your initial time at the college or university you can have your major as "Undeclared". Here's what the difference is between the B.S. and B.A. degree, at least at the university I went to. For both, you have to take the same classes that are specified for your major. And it is also true that for both, you have to take a certain amount of class "credits" (or "units") in "elective classes" that are outside of your major field of study (so that you show that you've learned some general knowledge beyond your area of specialization). For the B.S. degree you just have to get a certain number of credits in these elective classes. But for a B.A. degree you have to get that certain number of credits, AND there are specifications for how many of those credits need to be in various categories of study (e.g., history, math, science, English, foreign language, art, anthropology, etc.). So, the B.A. degree can indicate that you got a broader education in non-major classes. Here's some amplification of the topic of post-Bachelors degree education: A student can apply for a Masters program, and leave school for the workforce after getting that. That degree often requires writing a Masters "thesis"; but there are some Masters programs where you just have to take certain classes and then take some tests. And for some universities, if you enter a Ph.D. program, you can receive a Masters degree along the way (i.e. after 2 or 3 years) if you have planned your academic efforts so that you have satisfied the requirements for a Masters degree (in that department of your university) in the initial years of your Ph.D. program. That means that you don't have to spend 2-3 years getting a Masters degree, and then spend an additional 4 or so years doing your Ph.D. Of course, there is no fixed number of years for how long your Ph.D. will take. That depends on your field of study, and on how well, and how quickly, your research goes (because you have to do original research, and write a "dissertation" on it).
Very interesting topic. As a teacher in Texas, hearing your explanations were quite fascinating. I enjoyed the differences in educational systems in both countries. I must say 9k is rather unheard of in Texas.
Different in Scotland, primary school p1 to p7 . Then secondary school s1 to s6 . Not familiar with reception and sixth form until this video . And no specialist schools , we have catholic schools. A levels are equivalent to Scottish highers
American public education begins in kindergarten at age 5-6. Elementary encompasses grades 1-5 in some systems or 1-6 (age 6-11/12). Junior high or middle school goes from grades 6-8 or 7-9 again depending on the system where high school is either grade 9-12 or 10-12. Miami, FL (Dade County Public Schools) used 1-6, 7-9, 10-12 respectively.
I went to a public university (UCLA) and yes, those are "state schools". They're not necessarily free but they are a lot cheaper than private universities, especially if you stay in your home state. I got state and federal grants to cover the cost of my tuition but for me it was cost of living that was the real beast. The price for two years in the dormitories and then rent for several years living in the (rather upscale) neighborhood near the university was what really forced me to borrow tens of thousands in student loans. We also have the option of (non-private) student loans pegged to the amount of income that you earn.
Without the grants UCLA can still cost $20k-$40k a year depending on your major though. Not the most expence UC but definitely on the cheaper side of American Universities.
Yes, nowadays, it can cost that much. Without grants my education from 2001-2006 would have been around $28 k...total...I'm glad I graduated when I did. I look at the prices now just 12 years later and balk but feel sorry for thousands of kids out of high school who are going to have to take out a mortgage basically to pay for a Bachelor's Degree.
UCLA BA, Math, Class of '79 here. When I went (commuting from home in Hollywood) there was no tuition and "fees" were ~$234/quarter. I've heard lately (cough cough) it's a bit more expense. Very sad that. Back on topic of comparison, in very large cities in the US (using Los Angeles as an example), there are public and private Universities (e.g. UCLA - state school, USC - private), Colleges (eg. Cal State - public altho now part of UC I think, Claremont Colleges - private) and city/locally run community colleges (Mt. Sac, LACC.) There are trade schools and other specialty schools (cosmetology, legal studies, art) that are mostly private. So depending where you are, there are choices, many low cost, but you can easily mount up 100's of 1000's of dollars in debt.
I’m from England but this is what American Grades are in British years Reception (KS1) - American Equivilent (???) Primary school (KS2)/ Elementary 1st Grade - Year 2 2nd Grade - Year 3 3rd Grade - Year 4 4th Grade - Year 5 5th Grade - Year 6 Secondary school (KS3)/ Middle school 6th Grade - Year 7 7th Grade - Year 8 8th Grade - Year 9 Secondary School (KS4)/ High School 9th Grade - Year 10 10th Grade - Year 11 Sixth Form (KS5)/ High school 11th Grade - Year 12 12th Grade - Year 13 Further Education College - University
As a teacher, loved this video explaining how it works in the UK! Here in Australia (New South Wales), we start in Kindergarten (Year K) at 5yo and then all the way up to Year 6 (Age 12). High school goes from Year 7 to Year 12 (compulsory) at which point you do your HSC. Then you can choose to go onto University or TAFE (vocational studies). Great vid, guys! Thanks :)
In New Zealand - Year 1 (children here start primary at 5) is what you call "Year K" in NSW. So this explains why we have our final (senior) year as Year 13. Kindergarten is for kids under 5 Primary School is for year 1 - 6 (kids start at the age of 5) Intermediate School is for year 7 - 8 or Junior High is Year 7 - 10 High School/Grammar School/College - year 9 - 13 or Senior High is Year 11 - 13 University is after and/or Polytechnic Colleges
The American education system is easier to understand. Basically, it's 1-2 years of kindergarten (optional). Starting at age 6, there's 12 years of education divided into 4 years each of elementary school, middle school and high school which ends with a high school diploma at age 18. Then each person must decide whether to enter the workforce, attend a 2 year trade school (also known as a junior college or community college) or go to university to pursue a bachelor's degree which typically takes 4 years to complete. That's all very simplified, of course. You can enter the workforce and still attend trade school or university on a part-time basis which many people do.
Four years of middle school? Where I grew up you had six years of elementary, two years of middle, and four years of high school OR eight years of elementary followed by four years of high school.
Oh, it varies from place to place. When I was in school, we had 5 years elementary, 4 years middle and 3 years high school. Years later, they built a new elementary school, renovated the middle school and expanded the high school and made them 4 each.
From six weeks for some nurseries. In England you legally have to start education in school term after you are five but most start in September after you are four. If you are born in April to August you can also request to join school in September after you are five in reception instead of year one but they can refuse. In most school districts in England there is two tier system with primary then secondary. Primary is between the ages of four and eleven and seniors is between eleven and sixteen. Compulsory education is upto 18 but between 16 to 18 you also have the option of an apprenticeship. Also have the legal option in Uk to home educate. The American K is equivalent to our year one. Pre k is like reception.
Primary and Secondary Schools use different numberings. Primary 1 to 7 is P1 P2 P3 etc. Then high school is S1 to S6 instead of saying year 12 or something. You do 8 National 5s(worth about the same as GCSEs) in S4, 5 Highers in S5 (or a mix of Highers and Nat 5s if you didn't pass all) Highers are worth less than an A level. Then 3 Advance Highers (or more Highers if you didn't pass) in S6. Advance Highers are harder than A levels and equivalent to Uni first year. Universities only really look at your Highers your not expected to have advance highers. ALSO UNI IS 100% FREE FOR PEOPLE FROM SCOTLAND IRELAND AND EU
Also worth mentioning you can do 9 Nat 5's if you choose to take PE/RE as a subject (maybe some schools don't allow this? mine did) and that there are Nat 4's too for those who find the Nat 5's too tricky but you can't go from a Nat 4 to a Higher you would have to do the Nat 4 then 5 then move onto the higher.
OMG this was so helpful for me as I never really understood how the British school system works and I have a 3 year old who is going to nursery at the moment. Thanks!
This video was really interesting! I've always been so curious about British schooling because it's so different in America! My university was $30,000 a year and I went for 3 years. I wish it was only 10k a year!
It’s different here in Wales. Day nurseries (usually from 0-8yo), but they get picked up/dropped of by the day nursery staff (if needed) once they’ve started school, Day nurseries are only for parents who have work or are in college, You need to pay for your child to go to Day Nursery, some colleges do have a day nursery. Nursery is for (3-4yo), but it’s not mandatory, nurseries can be in a school or just on its own, Reception is for (4-5yo) (EYFP), Year 1 (5-6yo) and Year 2 (6-7yo) are all part of The Foundation Phase. Year 1 and 2 can also be called The Infants or Key Stage 1 (KS1). Year 3 (7-8yo), Year 4 (8-9yo), Year 5 (9-10yo), Year 6 (10-11yo) are all called The Juniors or KS2. Year 7 (11-12yo), Year 8 (12-13yo) and Year 9 (13-14yo) are all called KS3, Year 7 is the first year in Comprehensive/Secondary and Year 9 is when you choose what you want to do for the next 2 years. Year 10 (14-15yo) and Year 11 (15-16yo) are both called KS4 and are the 2 years you do your exams and Year 11 is the last school year forever. Best thing is you have a prom (copied from Americans), but weird schools have it before the exams, good schools have it after. Mine had it before, it’s like we were celebrating the START of the GCSE EXAMS
Specialty public schools exist but that is rare I believe. An example would be New York City public schools. Joel is correct. American universities do not expect an entering freshmen (generic term) to settle on a major until the of sophomore year. Public universities are state run and so tuition varies. This is for undergraduate education only. Graduate or professional schooling (e.g.-law, medicine, business) are a whole different thing.
In America, nursery is daycare (1month-3 years old), primary is preK (4yo), elementary is Kindergarten through 5th (5-10yo), junior high or middle school is 6th-8th (11-13yo), high school is 9th-12th (14-17yo) and students are referred to as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. Everything from K-12th grade are compulsory (required) but can be done in public school (state run), charter (partially state funded, but not state run), private (paid for by the students parents), or homeschooling (done by the parents). Private school can be parochial (religious) or secular (non-religious). Public and Private schools can also be standard curriculum or magnet programs. Magnet schools have an emphasis in an area of trade or talent... For instance, there's medicine, arts (music, theatre and/or visual arts), technology, etc. but they still have the standard curriculum that is required for all state schools with additional curriculum in their area of trade or talent. After the K-12 schooling, graduates have many choices. Go to work in a job/career that doesn't require additional study. You can attend a trade-school for specific study in a single trade... cosmetology, HVAC technician, auto mechanic, dental or medical assistant are all examples of trade-school career studies. Community colleges are under-graduate universities, they have Associate degrees or two-year degrees, and most offer trade certificate progams, like a trade school plus the basic college language, history and math requirements. Tuition is $3-9k a year... So many people go to community college and then transfer to a 4-year university in order to make college less expensive. 4-year universities (or just University or College) offer Bachelor and Masters degree programs, some offer Post-graduate study (lawyers and doctors go to these). Tuition at University can be $10k-ridiculous and most people cannot afford it (even with loans and/or scholarships). Speaking of loans, there are government and private student loans for all of the choices I have mentioned (although government loans can't be used for post-graduate education programs). There are also grants that can be used for 2 year, 4 year and post-graduate study in a college but are usually not available for trade-school education programs.
Thank you for making this video. It really helped me understanding the British education system I currently have to learn about at school. Greetings from Germany :)
In America you can pick a major before you go to college such as engineering, computer science. History, Music, Biology etc. Some kids aren't sure what they want to major in so they start out taking required classes and then take electives until they figure out what they like.
This is my school in the UK which is in south west England. We have primary school which contains Reception to Y6 and in Y6 you have to do SATS and then secondary school which contains Y7 to Y11 and in Y9 you have to do options where you have to do all core subjects like all sciences, maths english, sport, citezenship, ep and options is where you have 4 options subjects. You can do subjects like art, phychology, ict, GCSE ep, GCSE sport and many more. You also have to pick between geography and history or do both. Then in Y11 you do your GCSE which are tests. Next you have to go to sith form or an apprentiship till your 18. And after that you can go to uni.
We have non-mandatory daycare for kids from 6 to 8 weeks old until they are 5 by the end of August and then they will start Kindergarten for a year. Then grade or elementary school from 1st grade to 5th grade...then the kids go to a middle school from 6th through 8th grade...then there is high school from 9th through 12th grade...then some go to college.
In Australia it goes Year 3-4 old kindy garden 4-5 old depending on your age/birth year and mounth it's called pre-primary And then you start primary school Age 5-6 yr old year 1 Age 6-7 yr old year 2 Age 7-8 Yr old year 3 Age 8-9 yr old year 4 Age 9-10 yr old year 5 Age 10-11 yr old year 6 Then middle school comes in too affect Age 11-12 yr old year 7 Age 12-13 yr old year 8 Age 13-14/15 yr old year 9 Then high school/ sinior school comes in Age 15-16 yr old year 10 Age 16-17 yr old year 11 Age 17-18 yr old year 12 Then you graduate and then ither go to College, Tafe, University or non it's your choice .
In the US it starts out with Preschool, you don't have to go to preschool, or daycare, and then it is Kindergarten; which is about 4 or 5, and after that it is elementary, then Middle School, 2 years of Middle School, and lastly High School for 4 years from ages 14 to 18. In university you get 2 years of general classes that pretty much everyone has to take, the classes that are considered to give you a well rounded education. then you decide on your major and take 2 years of specialty classes in your field. A Bachelors usually takes 4 or so years if you go full time, but how long is really up to you. When I was in England we started with Infant school, then Junior school, and i think then it was Secondary Modern. It has been a while..... Thank you very much for the tutorial, and update.
As a British ex-pat who has lived in the US for many years, I want to clarify some of your statements. First, college and university in the US is the same thing. The only subtle difference is that colleges tend to offer fewer majors while universities have a broader range of majors and typically offer postgraduate degrees including Masters and Doctoral degrees. They both offer university degrees at the associate (2-year degree) and bachelor level (4-year degree - same as honors). A University education can be very expensive depending on the school and how you approach obtaining your degree. However, it's possible to significantly reduce the cost of university education by attending a state university rather than a private university. In addition, if you attend a state university, and there are some superb state universities (Virginia, Michigan, Penn State, University of California Los Angeles or University of California Berkley). They offer major discounts on the cost of a university education if you are a student accepted from that state and are defined as an in-state student. Out of state students pay a much higher cost. For example, the University of Virginia charges $17,500 for an in-state student but $48,000 for an out of state student per year. In addition, many of these large state universities have branch or satellite campuses where you can complete 2 years' worth of work towards your bachelor's while living at home so you only need to pay tuition so that would reduce the cost by another 50% for those 2 years. The bottom line is that a university education is expensive but it is possible to significantly reduce the cost.
In the US, after High School you can go Community College which is like your Sixth years or you can go straight to a University. You can pick your own classes or if you get into a "program" like engineering or other specialty the classes are programmed for you.
Thank you. Exactly the info I was needing. I was wondering if anyone could comment on how U.K. students are allocated or assigned to the school they attend & how schools are funded. In the US, if you attend public (free) school (K - 12th grade) you are assigned to a particular “school district” based on the location of your home. This has a lot of practical sense but it also has many flaws - because school funding is not consistent across school districts. School districts in more wealthy areas receive more funding because the residents of the district pay more in taxes - but funding is also tied to district wide performance on standardized tests, and wealthier school districts always have higher exam scores. The wealthier districts have this advantage because of many social-economic factors at play - but overall it is because the schools and staff and students body are much much more stable.
Generally in the United States there are 3 stages of Public School: Elementary school is Kindergarten to 5th/6th grade, middle school is typically 6th/7th to 8th grade, and high school is 9th to 12th grades. Then after you graduate from High School, you can either go to a Community College or Vocational School to get a 2 year degree and then into the work field OR onto a University, if you choose, to transfer for a 4 year degree. Private Schools are a totally separate thing.
This is a GREAT video! Thanks for doing this one. For decades I've been confused about, and curious about, how the school system works in England (i.e., the structure, the terminology) . (FYI: I'm an American.) Before now, I've only heard little snippets of info being said by some British person or another; and I wasn't sure what they meant when they used expressions like "sixth form" or "A levels". But now, because i watched this video, I think I have a much better picture of what the entire system there is like. I've seen other comments to this video where someone has already explained the school system here in the US; so I won't go into detail about that here. But I did make some of my own comments (elsewhere in this comments section) to amplify the explanation of US college and university studies.
I'm from Argentina. And fortunately, here we have state (or public, as we call them) schools, colleges, and universities, so we don't have to pay for education at all. There are also private schools so you can choose. Here we have: - Daycare (until 3 years old/optional/you have to pay) - Kindergarten (4 years old/optional/public or private) - Pre-School (5 years old/mandatory/public or private) - Primary School (6-12 years old/mandatory/public or private) - Secondary School (13-18 years old/mandatory/public or private) Then you can choose your higher education between: - Third Education (between 2-3 years of duration/optional/public or private). In college (not sure this would be the right translation), or as we call it here Third Education, you get an undergraduate degree (Bachelor's degree). If available for your career, you can then go to university and get a graduate degree (I think this would be the equivalent degree) (2-3 more years of duration). - or go directly to University (between 5-6 years of duration/optional/public or private). Going to college or university will depend on the career you choose. Some are studied at colleges, others at Universiy. University careers are longer than college careers and they're more prestigious because of the longer duration. In Medicine, for example, university lasts 6 years approx. (1 or 2 of observation and practice at a local hospital + 5 of regular study) and then you have the Residency levels (aprox. 3 more years of duration), which is mainly practice in general medicine (here called clinical medicine). Those years of your life you actually don't have a life, you're a zombie who almost lives at the hospital. Finally, if you don't want to work as a clinician, you specialise in any other field of medicine such as gastroenterology, haematology, cardiology, etc. Until a few years ago, public primary and secondary schools were considered as prestigious as private ones, but now, that has changed. On the other hand, public college and university are considered a lot better than private ones. Unfortunately, the last populist governments have undermined public education in Argentina. Hope this information is useful or interesting for someone.
I'm from the US. Here you start preschool around age 3 or 4 I think. It largly depends on how mature you are for your age. If you can follow directions you might start earlier. Perschool isn't required but is highly recommended. You start elementary school with kindergarten around age 5 and this is required. Then you start first grade at around age 6 and go until grades five or six depending on what your local school system has decided for the cut off point. In fifth grade you are around age 10 or 11 in sixth grade you are 11 or 12. That's when you start middle school or Jr high and that usually goes until eighth (8th) grade when you are about 14. Then you move on to high school which is grades 9-12. You graduate at around 18 unless you get held back or What have you. You can then choose to 1: do nothing and try to find a job 2: go to votech or a trade school where you can be like a plumber or a mechanic or 3: you can go to college. No college is really paid for in the US by the government. I hesitate to say that though because most people do go to college with help in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans some of which are provided by the government but can also come from private sources such as your parents workplace. The rest is covered by you out if pocket (,with your own money). There are various kinds of colleges as well. There are 2-year colleges if you want as cheap as possible and many of these offer both votech (trade school) and libral arts like English math or history. You either earn a certificate of some sort or your associates degree here. Then there are 4-year colleges and universities. Here you usually earn a bachelor's degree and they cost more than 2-year colleges. There are public or state funded universities and private colleges too (both are four or more years). The state colleges and universities (University of Minnesota or Wisconsin state for example) are usually cheaper than your private schools. Private schools are also a lot of times harder to get into (you have to apply and hope to get accepted into schools after 12th grade) but are seen as more prestigious or elite even though some state schools might be equally great. You can then go on to graduate school and earn your master's, Ph. D, or Doctorate and each of these usually adds another two years to your schooling. you have to get your bachelor's before your master's, your master's before your Ph. D (I think) etc. So if you want a higher degree your going to be in school for a long time. Also those scholarships, grants, and most loans will not help you pay for anything above a bachelor's degree and graduate school as it's called usually costs more than normal college no matter what school you choose. A lot of people can also choose to live on campus for an added cost and many places require you to do so for the first year. To get into any college in the first place however, you have to take standard tests including the ACT or SAT depending on which your college requires. If you choose to go to a 2-year college then you have to take a similar test called the accuplacer. You then apply to the schools of your choice (most people apply to more than one) and as many scholarships as you possibly can as well as the FAFSA which is the application for a the grants and loans from the government. All colleges will require you to fill out (apply for) and provide you FAFSA information. Basically I recommend starting your college career, if you choose to go, in 11th grade, or the year before you graduate high school cuz it's a really lengthy process. Also you are not required to go to college for a certain number of years. For example, you can go to a two year school for one or three years and a four year school for five depending on how many credits you take each semester (half school year). You basically go until you get your degree or drop out. Some four year school may get mad at you if you go more than five years though. Phew lengthy comment and yea school is confusing here.
Very interesting! I often watch the U.K. Parliament and so now I understand more about why tuition fees for university are such a hotly debated topic. £9000 sounds quite high.
It is really high, and especially when many graduates don't have great prospects for earnings. As J&L say, it used to be £1000 and then £3000 and then it jumped all the way to £9000. The intention was that there would be a market economy, and only the top-class universities would charge the full £9000 while less popular and less prestigious universities would charge maybe half that. Of course, what then happened was that universities realised that (a) if they charged less than £9000 then students would think they were not as good as others, and so wouldn't apply to go to them, and (b) as students weren't having to put the money up front themselves but were getting a loan to cover the full costs, they were far less bothered about the price differential than people had thought they would be ... so pretty much every university does charge the maximum allowed.
The U.S. is extremely expensive, even the more "affordable" ones. People get into debt just to get an education-- it's absolutely ridiculous. Soon only really rich people will be able to get higher education.
In the USA... public school is considered free education...but it is far from free. You have 2 pages of supplies you have to take on the 1st day of school and then there are fees that can add up pretty quickly. The higher the grade the more expensive the fees. Our school system is K5 (5 year old) and 1st - 12th grades... beginning 1st grade after 6th birthday.
So the thing about College is that some people know what they want and go to certain colleges for that. But for other u can go in undecided and take alot of classes but most places make choose a major(what u want to study and get a degree in) by ur second or sophomore year of College. The name work for both College and high school. 1st year - freshmen, 2nd year - sophomore, 3rd year - junior, 4th year - senior
Here, in the states, the terms, "freshman," "sophomore," "junior," and "senior," are determined by how many credits you have taken (as determined by the number of classes and grades you get). So, a freshman is a first year student, a sophomore is a second year student, a junior is third year student, and a senior is in their 4th (or more) years. For those who are going for advanced degrees, they will just say something like they are a "master's" student, or a "doctoral" student, depending on their program of study. Typically, people will start off getting a Bachelor's degree, then, later on, may pursue a Master's, then a Doctorate/Ph.D.
Some “high schools” here in the US (9-12 grade 14-18 yrs old) are having “academies” or specific studies. One school my friend went to has 3 schools in one each one had their own floor and the staff and classes all contained to that floor. One was more general while the other two schools two had specific studies one was of social justice for those who want to go into law, politics and social service and the other one was medicine and science bases for students interested in that career path. The students are combines in sports and other extra curricular activities
in the US the way college is more like the first two years they want you to take general education classes like algebra, chemistry, psychology, etc they are required, and then the last two years you take the classes that pertain to your degree. You can go into college here with degree you want, but you still have to take those two years or however long it takes you to meet those requirements. Other people don't really know what they want to do in life so they start college by taking those pre-requisite classes that I mentioned, and then they declare what degree they want to pursue.
American school explained: When you are 5-11 you are in elementary school, then when you are 11-14 you go to middle school, then when you are 14-18 you go to high school, lastly you can choose to go to college but you don’t have to. You can also go for 1 to sometimes even 10 years
Not entirely accurate. Some states are different. Elementary 5 to 12 grades kindergarten to sixth. Junior high 12 to 15 grades 7 to 9, and High school 15 to 18 grades 10 to 12. After that is a college, or university. Colleges can offer Associate degrees average is 2 years, and 4 Bachelor degrees average is 4 years. Universities can offer all degree levels. Levels beyond Bachelor are Masters about 6 years to complete, and Doctorate about 8 years to complete. Times can vary depending on the individual student.
I'm from Italy and the schooling system here is quite different. From the age of 3 you can go to nursery then you start primary school (which we call elementary school) in your six up until 10, so it's 5 yeaes of primary school. After that, we have middle school consisting of three years, then you go to secondary school. There is a wide range of secondary schools you can choose from. There are "licei" which are schools that usually expect you to go to university and "professionali" which complete schools giving you access to the work environment already.
I never knew that yall’s formal schooling ended at 16. In America we now go to school from 4-17/18. I didn’t go to school until I turned 5. I started in Kindergarten, and then after that first year you go to elementary school until 5th grade (in some places 6th grade is still Elementary). For me 6th-8th grade was what we call Middle School or Junior High. Then 9th-12th grade is High School or Secondary school. Your 12th grade year is your Senior year. After that year you can then decide to either head to a 2 year college or a 4 year university, or even a trade school, or military. Once you graduate at 17 or 18 then you are an adult and it’s time to make some choices. I love seeing how different schools are in different countries. I pay for my college education with Grant money and some loans. $9K a year is really great especially if you live on campus on the dorms on a meal plan. My Freshman year of college when I was 18 was $12k. I lived on campus and was on meal plan.
In Dorset there are three-tier schools, First, Middle and Upper schools. First school is Reception to Year 4 (Age 4 to 9). Middle school is year 5 to year 8 (Age 9 to 13) and SATs are done in the middle of this, at the end of year 6. Upper schools are Year 9 to Year 11 (Age 13 to 16) however most upper schools in my area have attached sixth forms so they finish at 18 instead, however you can opt out and go to college or into an apprenticeship, etc..
Thank you so much for this video! I just started working for an educational british company and was completely lost with the UK system! It's so different from US!
Australia 1. Kindergarten (Kindy) - 1 year 2. Pre-primary - 1 year 3. Primary School - Year 1-6 (used to be till year 7) 4. High School - Year 7-12 5. TAFE (apprenticeships and basic higher education like certificates and diplomas) or University (where you do a bachelor in an undergraduate degree, and a masters and PhD in postgraduate)
Hi, Joel and Lia, I just wanted to say that I love your videos and you guys have been teaching me so much. I'm doing a degree in foreign languages (English and German) and I'm taking a particular interest in the English language and linguistics. Take care and keep up the good work xox 😘
In the American university system the first two years are spent covering general knowledge subjects. In the last two years, you become more specialized because you pick a major concentration of study. I picked English Literature as my major for the last two years of university. There are several general knowledge required courses that you have to finish in the first two years of American college.
Not everyone at a US university or college enters with an undeclared major. Most will enter with a declared major. California's post-secondary public schools do require that all students take what are known as General Education classes (things like sociology, biology, psychology, English, US History, etc.) during the first two years (referred to as lower division) with the bulk of classes for the major during the last two years (known as upper division). It is, however, normal to take foundation (introductory level) courses related to your major during the first two years to be prepared for upper division work.
American university is 4 years. The first 2 years are general education requirements - literature, writing, math, science, social science, arts, etc. The second two years are the professional sequence. So, if you are going into engineering, most of the engineering classes would be taken then. Most universities do not require students to declare a major course of study until their 3rd year. They want the student to experience many different fields before settling on one. Most student change majors at least five times before knowing what they really want to do.
Nursery in America can start as early as 8 weeks old (which is believed to be the largest contributing factor in America having the highest infant mortality rate amongst developed nations). Pre-school can starts between age 3 and 5, some communities offer this as part of their public school, some don't. Elementary begins at age 5, but a parent may choose not to start their child until age 6. The first year is called Kindergarten (parents may opt to allow their student to test out of this, but it is rarely done), the next year is 1st grade. The ending grade of elementary varies by the community from grade 4 to grade 8. Most communities have a middle school or Junior high school, some have both. These schools range from 5th to 9th grade. If a community has both middle school is the lower grades. If a community one has one of these then High school begins in grade 9. We finish high school at 18 after finishing grade 12. Two years of university everyone takes the same classes which are called basic classes(3 maths, 4 English, physical education, 2 foreign language, 3 sciences, 3 social studies, and 6 electives). A few communities offer what is called Community college, which covers the basic classes. Going to a community college generally shaves a year or 2 off the amount of time that must be spent at a University and a student receives an Associate of Art or Associate of Science degree depending on the elective classes they choose. Community college is cheaper than University and some communities offer it for free if you have graduated high school from the same county the CC is located in. If you are a full-time student and only take the class required for 1 degree, University should take 4 to 5 years and a bachelor degree is earned. If you continue a masters degree may be earned, taking 3 to 7 years to complete. The last level is a doctorate degree and generally would take another 3 to 7 years to complete.
In the US, it is similar to the UK we choose a major or a pathway before (or you can go general education/undeclared) and then your classes are based on that. But you can change your major or pathway when you are in school
Thank you very much. I doing my speaking language endorsement on everything wrong with the education system and this helped me understand it more and gave me ideas. Thank you
So.many.Questions. 1. Regarding nursery: Do you have to pay for nursery? Can you choose part time vs. Full time for your child? Can you choose between different educational styles? (For example: Montessori) 2. How can you encourage your child to be A level? 3. Is there any supplemental or after school or summer turoring? 4. What about extra curricular things like dance, music, sport... are the children limited to specific choices? (For example, many schools in the U.S. don't even have music and arts programs anymore.)
In the US, after high school you can go to community colleges to take your core classes, like math and English. It’s a lot cheaper and it gives you more time to figure out your major. I even got my associates degree, which is a two year degree, in general arts. That means when I start at a university I’ll go in as a junior, or 3rd year. Most programs last 4 years. Most people choose a major of study before starting at a university, but they have the option of switching programs. I’m about to go back to school and it’ll cost me about $5000 a year with books, but the university closer to my home would cost about $23000 a year. It can get pretty crazy and sometimes cost ends up being the deciding factor between schools.
PRIMARY SCHOOL: 5/6- 1st year 6/7- 2nd year 7/8- standard one 8/9- standard two 9/10- standard three 10/11- standard four 11/12- standard five Before first year we have preschool/kindergarten but those are optional. In standards 1-4 we write the national tests for assessment and to place us in percentiles. In standard five we write the Secondary Entrance Assessment Exam (S.E.A.) aka common entrance exam and are placed in one of our four choice schools according to our exam scores. SECONDARY SCHOOL: 12/13- form one 13/14- form two 14/15- form three 15/16- form four 16/17- form five 17/18- form six(lower six) 18/19- form six(upper six) In forms one to three we do all the subjects on the school's curriculum(about 20) and from form four we choose our own subjects(about 10). In form three we write the National Certificate of Secondary Education(NSCE) exam(for no reason at all in my opinion) and in form five we write a regional exam called Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and this exam is also known as O levels.Form six is also known as A levels and is optional. After O levels or A levels if one chooses, we go to university. NB. Secondary school, high school and college are all considered the same thing where I'm from
Hello! American here. Things I would like to clarify. College and university can be intertwined as the same meaning. But on an academic standpoint in the US, these two higher institutions are different. Colleges tend to only serve Associate’s Degrees (below a Bachelor). It’s usually 2 years of what we call “general education”, which covers ALL the high school classes we had in high school (secondary school in the UK). So it will have different categories, and for the most part you can choose whatever classes satisfy your “degree major”. Like for example, everyone has to take College Level Math, College English, Critical Thinking, Physical Science, Biology Science, Social Science, Arts & Humanities, etc. Depending on your degree major, determines which classes of those categories you can choose in order to satisfy the requirements. Like for example, I was a Social and Behavioral Science major in college. I was required to take math since it is a required General Ed, but I was given several options for which math class. Like Statistics, Social and Behavioral Stats, Psychology Stats, College Algebra, and Calculas. Where as my peers who majored in engineering did not have those choices, but were required to take Calculas to satisfy their math requirements. On the other hand, I had to take certain Sociology classes. Such as research in social methods, where as my engineering friends had much variety options, like US government, history, psychology etc. Even tho social science had no relation to their major. All majors have meet certain college units/credits to satisfy the required general education courses. Like for example, I also had to take a critical thinking class, i was given choices to critical think and analyze English literature, take eastern or western philosophy, or take a public speech class that focused on arguing and debate (which I took, cuz I hate writing and reading). Upon completed of all the general Ed classes, you then have earned yourself the Associates Degree and have completed college, you can use that diploma and transcript to apply and transfer to a 4 year institution (university) if you want your bachelors, cuz colleges only go up to 2 years. You would be transferring as an undergrad and be entitled to joining as a upper division student (university students who completed their lower division classes/general education classes). University in the US holds undergraduate degrees (bachelor) and hold masters and doctors. For bachelor’s degree, you have to knock out and satisfy all the remaining major classes, rather than general ed classes. So this time, you would no longer be required to take math, science, arts, music, etc. Unless it’s specifically related to your major. Like for example, as a social worker student, all my classes would specifically be in relation to my degree, and not anything else! Major classes are called upper division classes in the US. Students who wish to not go to college (2 years) but go straight to a 4 year institution (4 years) from high school can certainly do so! But they are also required to complete their general education classes! In university, they are considered lower division classes. Once they complete those courses, they can take their upper division classes (major specific classes). College graduates (Associates Degree) do not. Hope this helped.
When I went to school in the 50/60's, it was infant, junior and senior school, I was 4 when I started but cos my aunt was a teacher I could already read quite well by then.
Love your videos! If it helps anyone watching - High school in America is equivalent to Year 10, 11, 12 and 13. However years 12 and 13 in the uk are what we refer to as sixth form or college depending on where you go
Did you have to take a foreign language in Secondary? In America primary starts with 1st grade (there is Kindergarten which is age 5) and goes to 6th grade in some areas and 7th grade in other areas. There there could be Middle School or Junior High School. Thats 7-9. In other areas there's High School grade 8 to 12 or 10 to 12. In Middle School you take advanced math. Algebra 1 and 2 then Geometry 1 and 2. In high school you take foreign language 1 and 2 and SHOP which can be electronics, auto shop, plastics. History, Biology, PE is required from age 6 to age 21 by law (started by President Kennedy). You can drop out at age 16 with parental consent. If you're smart in 11th and 12th grade you take AP Chemistry, AP Physics, Contemporary American Problems (Poly Sci). Classes are in different classrooms. YOu have a HOME ROOM which is where you get information and stuff. Then it's like English, NUTRITIOIN (like Recess) PE, Spanish 1, LUNCH, Biology, History, Home Room. Leave. If you're on a college major it's a full day 8:30 am to 3:15 pm.If you aren't a college major you can arrange to go home at 1:30 to 2:30. You graduate grade 12 at age 17/18. From there you go to either 2 year college or 4 year college which is LIBERAL ARTS. 2 Year college is consider grades 13 and 14. Small class rooms (30-40 students). PE is still required (Tennis, soccer, ballet, pantomime, handball, volleyball). In both High School, 2year and 4 year college there are competitive sports. Basketball and American Football. In college both can be Majors. We have illiterate students who can't add that go to college fully paid on a Football or Baseketball scholarship and if they come out they end up on professional teams making $50,000+ a year to start. College is Liberal Arts. 40 Credits major (such as science, premed, history, math, theater, English) and 80 credits called "solids" which is English Comp, Poly Sci, History, English grammar, General Science, College Math (Algebra 3), any arts class (music appreciation, art appreciation, dance). Some colleges are just 4 years. Some are considered Universities. After you graduate after 4 years you can go to Grad School if your grades are good. That is 2 years intense studies in a major, such as English, Computers, Language, History or 1 year study and a thesis or dissertation approved by the department. After this is the Doctoral program which goes UNTIL they award your Doctorate. Basically it's RESERACH. If you're an astronmer you work on a team that might go to CERN and youi might be stuck there for 4 or 5 years doing a study that gets published. That gets you our PHD. You have write a disseration which tells the staff something they never knew before and you have to prove it and they question you on it. You can also go to Specialty schools. Medicine. Law. Psychology, Phramacy. These are 4 years long (Pharmacy is 3 years) and give you an MD Degree, a Dental Degree (DDS or DMD) a pshycology degree (PHD) a Law Degree (JD) or a Phramacy Degree (Pharm D). Nurses can go for 2 years and become RNs in most states. There is also a 4 year RN program. There is also a NP or Nurse Practioner program for nurses with Masters Degrees and 4 or 6 years work experience that makes them practioners who can diagnose and treat people and recomend drugs. They have to work under and MD. After you get your MD after 8 years (4 college 4 med scholl) you have to Resident in Internal Medicine for 1 year (used to be called Internship) then you can get a license to practice. You have the option to go 4 to 8 years after you get your license to advanced specialty such as surgery, urology, cardiology, psychiatry, podietry (food doctor), internal medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, imunology, radiology. These are 2 to 5 years after residence. You have the option to learn a super speciality called a FELLOWSHIP such as Trauma Care, Emgerncy Room Medcine. You apply to a hospital that trains in special orthopedics or trama care. And you work there full time for 1, 2, 3 years until the followship ends. Now you're like 34 or 35 years old with 27 to 29 years of training and you get placed in a great hospital working and teaching or you go into private practice and make $500,000+ a year as a super specialist. Those with jsut the 9 or 10 years after high school make $200,000 to $250,000 and work at Urgent Care or Contracting or on Staff at hospitals or as Associates at some small office. These people send you to see the Super Specialists. That's the American education system. Nursery school age 4 to 16 and drop out or to 12 and graduate or to 16 and get out of college and into $40,000 a year jobs or to 18 and get professional jobs makeing $80,000+ or to 20 and 21 being scientists and making $100,000+ a year teaching college or doing reserarch or working for IBM, Pizer, Johnson and Jonson or going a full 24 to 29 years and becoming specliasits making $350,000+ to start as surgeon, cariologists, psychiatrists, etc.
In Czech republic the education system is completely different. At the age of 2-4 you go to the nursery (unlike in the UK you have to attend the nursery). At the age of 6-7 you go to the ''basic school'' which is like elementary school in the US and that's where it gets really different. The basic school has 9 grades which are sepparated in 2 degrees (the 1st degree are years 1-5 and the 2nd degree are years 6-9). The 1st degree is just about the basics and when you go to the 2nd degree you just go deeper in what you've learnt so far and you add new things ofc. At the end of year 9 you have to do the entrance exams for ''middle school'' which is like high school in the US. You go there at the age of 15-16. Everyone has to attend the middle school but you can go either to what we call it ''gymnázium'' (the hardest option) which is for 4 years or the ussual middle school which is focused on some topic like electricity, programming, healthcare etc. and that is also for 4 years. For the bad graders (usually) there are the training institutions where you can learn to cook, repair things, build houses and things like these. You don't have to do the entrance exams for the training institution but you cannot graduate from these. There are even more kinds of middle schools, but these are the most common ones. When you graduate from the middle school you can go to the high school which is like college in the US. You don't have to attend high school, but employers like to see these in biographies. Nursery 2-4 - 5 y.o. Basic school 6-7 - 15-16 y.o. Middle school 16-17 - 20-21 y.o. High school 20-21 - 24-25 and older
Preschool 3-4 Elementary School: Kindergarten 5-6 1st grade 6-7 2nd grade 7-8 3rd grade 8-9 4th grade 9-10 5th grade 10-11 6th grade 11-12 Junior High: 7th grade 12-13 8th grade 13-14 Highschool: 9th grade (freshmen) 14-15 10th grade (sophomore) 15-16 11th grade (juniors) 16-17 12th grade (seniors) 17-18 College/workplace/trade School after that (junior high may also include 6th grade and then be called middle school just depends on the school district)
In the USA, formal education starts at "kindergarten" and then we have 12 years of school (grades 1-12). Once done, you can go to work; get vocational training for a certificate (6 months to a year); go to junior/community colleges for two years and get an associate's degree; or go to a four-year college or university and get a Bachelor's degree. After that, should you choose, you can go to graduate school and get a Master's degree. if you want, you can get further educated and get a Ph.D., Ed.D, MD, or a law degree.Those programs are another 2-8 years. So, by ages (if you do it all consecutively), goes like this: K (5 years old, or turning 6 if your birthday is after September -- I'll use the latter from here) 1-5 (Elementary/Primary school, age 7-11) 6-8 (Middle/Junior High School, still Primary, age 12-14) 9-12 (High/Secondary School, age 15-18) One is required by many states to be in school until age 18, some states are more lax on that law, so you see a high dropout rate pre-high school completion. You can get an Associate's Degree by 20, a Bachelor's degree by 22 years of age, Master's at 24, and the others by 30 years of age. And you can go $20k - millions in debt depending on how far you take your education.
Malaysian education system is mainly based on exam-paper performance like most asian countries. In Malaysia, they were supposed to continue the English education system after their independance. However, they are not really the same and a mixture of American and British English. Children go to "kindergarten" and not infant school, between 4-6 years old.. Then, they go to Primary school (7-12 years old) and Secondary school (13-17 years old). At the age of 17, they have a national exam which is equivalent to GCSE..Students can decide to work or pursue their Pre-U studies for another 2 years depending on their exam results and financial situation.
if you study 3 a-levels at college in the uk then it's a 6th form. 6th form college is not always attached to your secondary school. if you just study one specific subject then the course is called a BTEC (idk what it stands for tho) and that is at a college.
Where I live in the US, we have preschool which is up to 4 then you can go to pre-kindergarten (which is optional) then go to primary school which is kindergarten-2nd grade then on to elementary school which is 3rd-5th grad then middle school is 6th-8th grad and high school is 9th-12th grade
I am actually so glad for our easy Czech system, we have one mandatory year of preschool (kindergarten) from 6-15 theres a primary school where are kids sorted based on their location, then they choose their secondary school (which can be anything from a plumbers apprentice school to a strict schools for kids from posh families), and then, for those who can make it, they go to a uni or college and thats it. And all tuition is free of charge, unless you opt for a private school (there aren't many though)
In NI we go to nursery at 3 and start primary at 4, sometimes 5 depending on when your birthday falls. After 7 years there, you go to high school for 5 years and then you can chose to go into 6 form or move on to tech/collage. Then uni if you want after that.
Where I live in America, we have Kindergarten at 5 in one school. 1st-3rd grade in elementary. 4th-6th is middle. 7th & 8th is Jr. High and 9th-12th is High School. Then off to college/university at the age of 18 for around 4 years normally, but this is depending on major and if you switch majors.
I was randomly talking to somebody in the UK (they had like a question/answer segment) about schooling, and was told that the price in the UK went up for schooling because of how 'well' it is doing in America, so they thought they'd "take a cue" from the Americans. It made sense to me, especially when people compare the two so much. I am American and only asked because some of my UK friends were telling me it was still free to go to university over there.. and I didn't think it was (I also didn't think it had gone up that much though).
We have to take basics in college like math, language arts/english, science and history. Our second year of college/university we have to pick a major to stick with like psychology to possibly be a psychologist or choose to go into child learning and development to become an elementary school teacher.
In American colleges and universities, you first take your general course requirements (math, science, etc.) usually for the first 2 years, and then you must select your major course of study. You take the classes specific to your major course of study for the next 2-3 years until you graduate. I changed my major like 3 times before figuring out what I really wanted to do so I'm glad that was allowed here.
In America we have Nursery until you're three or four and then you can attend Pre-K which are both optional. And then you have kindergarten and which is also optional in Most states and Texas it is. And then you have 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ,5th that is that's usually considered grammar or elementary. Then you go to 6th 7th and 8th which is junior high or middle school. then you go to 9th 10th 11th and 12 which is High School. also High School and Junior High are considered secondary school.
In the U S., school for ages 3-4 is called pre-school. At age 5, you go to kindergarten. At age 6, you start first grade, followed by 2nd grade. Those two years are considered primary school. The next two years are called middle schoo (3rd and 4th grade). The next two are called elementary school (5th and 6th grade). The next two years are called Jr. high school (7th and 8th grade), followed by 4 years of high school. You then graduate at age 18. Should you wish to end school earlier, you can, if you pass a test called the G.E D.(General Equivalency Degree). This ensures that you have the most important skills that High School was designed to teach you. While in high school, you can choose to take classes for a few hours a day at the vocational school, which is designed to teach a skill to those who don't want to go to college. Also, honor students, in towns where there is a technical college, can choose to spend a few hours a day taking courses for college credit. Finally, in some states, a few honor students from the 11th grade of each school, an be chosen to attend the "Governor's School of Science and Mathematics" for two years. In closing, what I have just described to you is a general layout. There are some towns where the grouping of grades are slightly different, or where other programs are available.
For some reason Leicester has a completely different schooling system...you start secondary school at the beginning of year 6, to complete your SATs. We are at secondary school until the end of year 9 (my year). Next year, every year 9 is leaving for the biggest school but everyone just calls the school by its name. You complete your GCSE and A-levels at this school and then go to university..
In the Czech Republic we have nursery schools as well but the age span is different. Children go there up until the point when they turn 6. Then we start primary school (age 6 to 15) which has 9 years and it is divided into the first half (first 5 years) and the second half (remaining 4 years). After primary school we go to secondary school and that's the time for us to start thinking about what we would like to do in the future. So according to that we choose our secondary school (there are basically three types) at which we study for 4 years. So we only get one prom (unlike Americans) at the age of 18 or 19 and that's it. Then people may go to University but, as you said, it's not compulsory. As a matter of fact, not even secondary schools are compulsory but most people go because otherwise no one would employ them. University is for free for a certain number of years in which people are expected to graduate. But it happens quite often that people don't manage to pass all their exams in time or they struggle to submit their BA or MBA theses in time and in that case we only get one extra year to catch up. If we don't, then we have to start paying around 1,260 pounds per year. But for us students, who barely manage to balance work, school and private life, it's actually quite a lot. I guess money is the reason, prices and salaries in the Czech Republic are extremely different from the rest of the world, I feel.
Schooling is compulsory in the UK up to 16 (and up to 18 in some form of education or training) This is free unless parents choose to pay for private schooling. The term "Public School" in the UK goes right back to the days before Government funded compulsory schooling. Anyone back then could be admitted to a Public School as long as they could pay. This was distinct from private schools such as those set up by privaye organisations specifically for the children of people in those organisations. Near where I live in suburban London, there is a school called Haberdashers which I think was set up originally by the Guild of Haberdashers in the old City of London to educate the children of the members of that guild. These days, its an academically selective fee paying school.
Yes, Government funded state run schools are called Public School. Private School is Boarding School and Religious Schools not supported by property taxes. Nursery School/Headstart/Preschool is Age 3-4 and is optional Elementary/Primary is set up differently in big cities verses rural areas. Students cannot drop out from school until age 16. Many drop outs go to community colleges (2 year schools, trade certificates) to get a GED (General Education Development) which you get by passing a test. Generally, Kindergarten-5th or 6th grade Age 5-6, Kindergarten Age 6-7, 1st grade Age 7-8, 2nd grade Age 8-9, 3rd grade Age 9-10, 4th grade Age 10-11, 5th grade Age 11-12, 6th grade Middle School is more big city and Junior High is more rural areas. This can be Grades 6-8, 7-8, 6-9, however the school district sets it up. Age 12-13, 7th grade Age 13-14, 8th grade Big city schools often have Graduation ceremony Secondary School/High School is where we get Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior titles. Depends how school district is set up, some big cities separate 9th grade from high school. Age 14-15, 9th grade/Freshman Age 15-16, 10th grade/Sophomore Age 16-17, 11th grade/Junior Age 17-18, 12th grade Senior, High School graduation ceremony US Post-Secondary Education is optional and paid by student. There are: Trade schools where you earn a certificate like a welder, secretary, beautician, etc. Often construction workers start in apprenticeships to get certified. Community Colleges often give trade certificates and associate degrees (2 year degree). These receive government funds that lower the cost for students to pay. Associate degree can specialize like accounting, dental hygienist or general studies including Math, Science, English, Social Studies (4 main fields in American education). Graduation usually Age 20. Private (not from government) Colleges and Government supported Universities give Bachelor's Degrees (4 year degree). These use the Secondary titles Freshman for Year 1, Sophomore for Year 2, Junior for Year 3, and Senior for Year 4. Graduation is usually Age 22. 1st 2 years of this education are in general studies (Math, Science, English, Social Studies) 2nd 2 years specialize in a major and/or minor, like a Journalism major may minor in political science. Universities give Master's Degree and then Doctorate degrees (PHD) which are called Graduate School. Must have a Master's to apply for Doctorate school. These take as long as it takes to complete and their Thesis approved to receive their degree. Many corporation owners have an MBA (Master's of Business Administration). Community College professors can have a Master's degree to teach, but Colleges and Universities require a PHD to teach. Then there are Law School and Medical School that require a Bachelor degree to apply. They have their own separate system of education to complete. Hope this explains American Education.
I recently had to explain our entire school system to a Scottish friend when I only meant to tell him an AS grade! Didn't realise that the systems were different in Scotland 😃 x
I find it really interesting!!! I just always thought that Brit’s called “University” anything after high school (secondary school). In the U.S., college is a term used for what you go straight into after high school. Although, our “college” sounds like your “university”
we had senior school - removes, lower fourth, upper fourth, lower fifth, upper fifth and then leave at 16. Did cordon bleu college which was shit and then secretarial college and was a legal secretary for 12 years.
In the US, an in state public university is about $13,000 with transportation and books (around 10,000 pounds per year). Scholarships, grants, work study, and loans are available to help students pay for college. If you live at home, work, apply for scholarships, it's really not that hard for college to be affordable. If you are a hardworking person who is willing to put the effort in you're education, than you can come out with little or no debt. The students who have 100K in loans were not smart to choose a private university that they can't afford and that's their fault, not the government's.
In high population areas schools are broken down more: Kindergartner -5th grade (5-10-year-olds) 6th -8th grade Middle School or Jr. High School 9th-12th Highschool (13-14 yearolds till 17-18) Anything after 12th costs money to attend: community colleges if you are poor or are pursuing a short career. University is for medium to serious careers 4-5 years long. (6-7 for Doctors Law and others)
In the United States, the states hold the governing power for education (rather than the federal government), and within those states, school districts are in control of their specific region (city, county, etc.). We have preschool that is federally mandated though for children who are identified as having a disability. It is still the parent's choice to have their child participate in that preschool or not. A lot of parents will still choose to have their child participate in a private preschool. Preschool is generally for children ages 2-5. At age 5, most children will begin Kindergarten (which is still not a legal requirement, but almost every child will participate). After Kindergarten, the child will continue on to 1st, then 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th grades. These years (K-5th grade) are generally known as the Primary School Years or Elementary School Years. Some Elementary Schools include 6th grade as well (depends on the district). 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are usually within one school referred to as "Middle School" or "Junior High". Then 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades are known as "High School". In the US, education is required until your 18th birthday or graduation from a high school curriculum. Beyond high school, college is not required, but encouraged. K-12th grade education is free unless parents opt for a private school (tuition based) education.
In Romania we start from 6 years old. The kids go for 1 year of what here would be reception. The you have from first grade to 8 grade that would be primary and secondary that you do in the same school. From 9 th grade until 12 th grade you go to high school. After that university.
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Love your videos! My primary school called reception 'Rainbows'.
British English with Joel & Lia here in America children don't go to public school until they are 5. Some public school had preschool for kids age 4 but a lot don't. As a parent you can send your child at age 3 and 4 to private preschool and pay for it. If your child goes at age 1-3 then it's not school it's called day care or child care. Most kids who go to preschool only go 2 to 3 days a week for about 3 hours only
At age 5 it's called kindergarten. Age 6-11 it's called elementary school or first grade, Second grade, third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade,
Some school grade 6,7&8 are age 11,12 &13, and it's called middle school or jr high. Then high school is for age 14-18 or ninth grade (freshman)10th grade (sophomore)11th grade(juniors) and 12th grade (seniors) you can't leave school till you turn 18.
They have something here called the Becca bill and if you try and leave school before you were 18 they will consider you truant they will find you and put you in detention and make you pay fines and make you go back to school till your 18.
pennylane36 I've never heard of a becca bill. Is that in your state?
I grew up in NH and once I finished 12th grade at 17 I graduated.
Being British: Joel & Lia ...In America we have only 3 schools you go to...Elementary is Grades Kindergarten to 6.....Middle School is grades 7-8....Highschool is Grades 9 to 12....Then you Graduate and go to college if you choose. Most College Programs are 4 years, depending on what you want to study. Where I live, the children do not wear uniforms, Although I would have preferred it when my daughter was in school because she only wanted designer name brand clothing and shoes. Thank goodness my choice of College Study was Nursing, otherwise I couldn't afford to buy my daughter's clothing...lol :) Our children are not required to start school until the age of 6, but you can send them at 5 years old. They can go to Pre-school at ages 3-4 or even 5 years old depending on weather or not a parent thinks they are ready for Kindergarten. Everybody in my state pays School tax, weather you have a child in school or not and it doesn't matter weather your child is Graduated from Highschool or you have no children at all, you still pay. If you have children in school, you pay school tax plus yearly school fees for every year your child is in school.
There’s a lot of opportunities for scholarships here. At least where i’m from. I knew a kid that got a $2,000 scholarship just for being left handed.
In America we have Pre-school which is optional for 3 year old and 4 year old children. Then we have Elementary School. You have to be 5 years old to go to Elementary School. You start in Kindergarten. Once you pass Kindergarten you go to 1st grade. Elementary school is Kindergarten through 5th grade. Then you go to Middle School which is 6th-8th grades. After that is High School which is 9th-12th. Most children graduate High School at 18 years old. We are required to attend school 180 days per year or our parents can go to jail. Once we graduate from High School we have many choices. We can enter the work force and take a low paying entry level job or attend college (2 year associates degree) or University (4 year bachelor's degree) or a trade school. Trade schools are where you can become hair stylists, electrician, plumber, etc. If you choose University and graduate you can opt to go on to get your masters degree (2 more years). The highest level would be after your masters to get your doctorate. Elementary, Middle and High School is free and provided by our government. College, University and trade schools are paid for by you. A person can walk away owing well over a hundred or two thousand dollars for their post high school education. If we meet certain income requirements we can get a $4000 grant from the government per year up to 4 years of University. We also have government student loans that are paid back monthly starting 6 months after getting your degree. The payment can be hundreds of dollars a month until it's paid for. I work in the medical field and know some doctors who are much older and still paying their loans. Anything over the amount of grants and loans is your responsibility. With the cost of education in America it is hard for anyone who comes from low income to advance themselves because they do not have the funding to attend post-secondary education. The number of students fighting for private scholarships is unbelievable. Education is a huge topic in America right now. Every person who runs for a government office has promised change but once they get elected they forget about all their promises.
What state is that? I know kids who drop out of school and the parents aren't in jail.
you can drop out of school at 16 in America and your parents won't get in trouble if you're 16
We don’t start paying anything back in the UK until you earn a certain amount, which is high.
One is only required to go to public school until age 16. Then one is free to be stupid.
meh you are correct but standard term for middle school is grades 6-8.
This was actually quite interesting, I never really understood how the British school system works.. until now of course.
You still don't know - this is the English system as there isn't actually a British system.
Alan Mac ..ok lol
Breana Cheyenne im the same about america , you have so many different schools and names for everythng
@@Alan_Mac That’s where I would like to disagree that is the the great British school system not the northern Irish system
@@Anime_Oni You may like to disagree but you can't. Education has always been separate in Great Britain since its inception in 1707.
This is the English system. There isn't a British one.
Well, you're half right about the US. Some unfocused students take a variety of classes until they decide on a major. But you have to declare a major at most schools by your third year and hopefully before.
There ARE liberal arts schools that are more general though and obvi there are vocational schools.
I agree with JUJU. Long ago (my time), there were a good number of people who were "undeclared" majors but now I hear that you have to declare from the beginning on your applications (at good 4 year public universities in Calif. anyway) because that is part of whether they will accept you or not.
Obviously, there are exceptions. When applying at Purdue, I had to list my top 2 or 3 choices of colleges with the knowledge I would only be able to be accepted into one. That was rough.
Yeah, if you're attending a vocational or University in the US they make you delcare a major so you have a clear path, but community colleges, I went for 3 years and stayed undecided and took a bunch of random stuff.
Unfocused students? General Education programs are a thing at ALL schools! Liberal Arts or not. You have to take a RANGE of classes to get a feel for what interests you. Which is the entire point.
Majority of schools make you declare a major by end of sophomore or early junior year tops. The vast majority of the schools I applied to did not ask for major as it isn't necessary right away.
The government has made it a requirement where u can’t leave education now until 18 so u can do college, sixth form or apprentice
Really? Not in Scotland
Damo2690 it’s just for England and Wales
Rebecca 1501 ye i just finished year 11 and I can't leave I have to stay
Ye I just finished y11 and now I have to do sixth form 😂
In my country you can legally drop out at 17 but you can drop out earlier if you are doing an apprenticeship or employed in some form of tertiary education like a tafe course in hairdressing or something.
I've been watching your videos last three days and I must say you two are so good at what you do and you are so positive and cute.
i think another difference between sixth forms and colleges is that a sixth form has pupils ages 16-18 and colleges can vary in ages ! xx
I never understood UK college until I watched Skins. I actually wish we had the same format in the states. I will say that I'm a big fan of one year grad school over in the UK. If only they would have accepted me :*(
Great explanation. I watch several bloggers from the UK and I’ve always wonders how the education system there works. I hear them talk about GCSE’s and sixth form. Now I understand it.
Here in the US we have the option of going to vocational-technical school during junior & senior year (year 11&12 for us) where we can learn trades like computer specialties, nursing, mechanics, cosmetology, etc free of charge.
Thank you so much fo explaining it in such a simple way. I'm kind of writing a short story right now and I was so confused about how your educational system worked. It is so different from Brazil! Again, thank you so much.
Thanks for this video! Super informative. I am planning to study abroad somewhere in the UK (from the US) in a year so this was interesting and helpful for me to hear.
Hi did you manage to go ahead and study in the UK
College and university are used interchangeably in the U.S. high school is from 14-18 and it’s before college/university. Year one of high school and college is freshman, second year of both is sophomore, third year of both is junior, fourth year of both is senior. It’s expected that after 4 years of college you will graduate (finish) with a bachelors degree. You can apply to continue your education by entering a program to earn your masters degree in a specific field like engineering, social work, fine arts, etc. From there you have apply to enter a PhD program and that’s even more work. The people I know with PhDs spent pretty much all of their 20s earning their PhD. Then there are the 2 major “professions,” doctor and lawyer. I don’t know all the details of medical school but it takes a damn long time. Law school is entered after you complete a bachelors degree then you have to take the law school admission test (LSAT) and your grades from college combined with your LSAT score will help you decide which law schools to apply to. Law school is typically 3 years and upon successfully completing it, you have a Juris Doctor (JD). Then you have to study for the bar exam which is administered in every state. If you pass, you are licensed in the state where you say the exam (there are some exceptions to this that are too specific to get into).
Thanks for this! I'm an American ex-pat in the UK for 7 years and I have never been able to figure out the Educational System in the UK. Your video spells it out very clearly but I will still need to watch it a few times before I understand it. I think the UK system is far more complex.
This has literally nothing to do.with this video, but you two are both incredibly good looking, funny, and intelligent. I love letting your videos autoplay while I'm at work because your voices soothe me enough to not want to choke people out. ;)
In the uk, compulsory education finishes at 18 and you must be in education until then. GCSE's are the foundation of A Level but is the only qualification everybody has to get.
And in Britain today no school has a specialism as it was scrapped under the last government to focus on turning schools into academies (state funded independent schools) but some schools may still brand themselves to have a specialism but technically it means nothing they don't get any extra money for example in that area
Wrong. My school specialises in mathematics and computing.
No it may still say that it does but it won't actually receive any additional funding in those areas as the government scrapped the scheme
Slight correction there, you must remain in education _or training_ until 18. You can go into the workplace if it is on an accredited training scheme and, if you haven't already passed GCSE maths and English, you continue to work towards those as well.
In Scotland you can leave school at 16. You don’t even have to sit your exams. Just leave if you want.
In Brazil there are public schools (free) and private (paid) but depending on the level of knowledge, the quality is completely different. For example.. private secondary and high schools are better in terms of education quality than public ones but the scenery is completely different with the universities... The public universities (free) are much better than the private ones... University of São Paulo is a good example. It is the best university in the entire Latin America... It's a state institution and it is free.
Primary School: Age 4 - 9
Secondary School: 10 -14
High School: 15 - 17 (18 in technical schools)
In Primary we study: Portuguese and its literatures; Math; History; Science (biology) and Geography.
In Secondary: Portuguese; Mathematics; Science (Biology); History; Geography; English; Religions; Arts and Fisical Education
High School: Portuguese; Mathematics; Biology; Fisics; Chemistry; Sociology; History; Geography; English; Religions; Arts and Fisical Education
These subjects are all required ones (obligated). In Technical High Schools we choose the Area.. like Cience Computer, Administration, etc... And then we have all high schools subjects with technical subjects, that's why it is four years...
IT'S PHYSICS NOT FISICS 😡😡😡😡😡
Paulo Henrique Novais WOW! They’re not even allowed to discuss religion in our public school here in America...
They are only allowed to discuss the Koran.
Hello guys, it is wonderful that you break down the school system in the UK. I wanted to add that in the US the word college at times it is referred to as University and at times it means Junior College which is the first two years of University.
In a Junior college you get to spend less money on the subjects that must be covered in the first two years of University. It also helps the student to rebuild their scholarly average in order to get into a competitive University.
University usually is 4 years the student has the option of deciding a field of study or simply entering Undecided and later on decide which field is best. Although you have a field of studies in order to gain a University degree the student is obliged to study other fields. This is due to the fact that they must walk out with some knowledge in general of every field. Thus the University forces the student to study history, English, Math and so forth. In various level beginners and advanced along the field of study chosen.
After the University some students proceed in their educational background and they get into a Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) program. The MA program usually runs for 2 years while the MS program is for 3 years. These programs are only concentrated in the field of choice. After the student might want to continue their education and get a Doctorate which usually lasts 4 years.
Good explanation of the "institutions of higher learning" after high school in the US. Allow me to make some comments to amplify this topic. (FYI: I'm an American)
A junior college is a different institution from a regular 4-year college or university. And it is indeed usually a 2-year program. And it is indeed usually cheaper than a regular college or university. At the end of the junior college program, if you take the correct mix of classes, you can earn an AA degree (which means Associate of Arts). If you want to just enter the workforce after that, you can tell prospective employers that you have an AA degree. If you want to go on to a regular college or a university after that, to get a Bachelors degree (i.e., a B.S. = Bachelors of Science degree, or a B.A. = Bachelors of Arts degree), that college or university will often accept some credits for the classes you took at the junior college, and apply them to what you need for their B.S. or B.A. degree. This means that you can get your Bachelors degree in less than the normal 4 years if you went to junior college first. And it is often easier to get accepted for admission into a college or university if you already have an AA degree from a junior college.
And, yes, students in the US don't have to have an area of specialization chosen before going to a college or university. Once there though, if you want a Bachelors degree, you have to identify and specify what you are "majoring" in at some point. And then you have to take the correct mix of classes for that "major". But for your initial time at the college or university you can have your major as "Undeclared".
Here's what the difference is between the B.S. and B.A. degree, at least at the university I went to. For both, you have to take the same classes that are specified for your major. And it is also true that for both, you have to take a certain amount of class "credits" (or "units") in "elective classes" that are outside of your major field of study (so that you show that you've learned some general knowledge beyond your area of specialization). For the B.S. degree you just have to get a certain number of credits in these elective classes. But for a B.A. degree you have to get that certain number of credits, AND there are specifications for how many of those credits need to be in various categories of study (e.g., history, math, science, English, foreign language, art, anthropology, etc.). So, the B.A. degree can indicate that you got a broader education in non-major classes.
Here's some amplification of the topic of post-Bachelors degree education: A student can apply for a Masters program, and leave school for the workforce after getting that. That degree often requires writing a Masters "thesis"; but there are some Masters programs where you just have to take certain classes and then take some tests. And for some universities, if you enter a Ph.D. program, you can receive a Masters degree along the way (i.e. after 2 or 3 years) if you have planned your academic efforts so that you have satisfied the requirements for a Masters degree (in that department of your university) in the initial years of your Ph.D. program. That means that you don't have to spend 2-3 years getting a Masters degree, and then spend an additional 4 or so years doing your Ph.D. Of course, there is no fixed number of years for how long your Ph.D. will take. That depends on your field of study, and on how well, and how quickly, your research goes (because you have to do original research, and write a "dissertation" on it).
@@garystreile9143 great explanation, you said what I wanted to say… FYI I am also an American
Very interesting topic. As a teacher in Texas, hearing your explanations were quite fascinating. I enjoyed the differences in educational systems in both countries. I must say 9k is rather unheard of in Texas.
Different in Scotland, primary school p1 to p7 . Then secondary school s1 to s6 . Not familiar with reception and sixth form until this video . And no specialist schools , we have catholic schools. A levels are equivalent to Scottish highers
England have catholic schools
So is Scotland mainly catholic?
American public education begins in kindergarten at age 5-6. Elementary encompasses grades 1-5 in some systems or 1-6 (age 6-11/12). Junior high or middle school goes from grades 6-8 or 7-9 again depending on the system where high school is either grade 9-12 or 10-12. Miami, FL (Dade County Public Schools) used 1-6, 7-9, 10-12 respectively.
I went to a public university (UCLA) and yes, those are "state schools". They're not necessarily free but they are a lot cheaper than private universities, especially if you stay in your home state.
I got state and federal grants to cover the cost of my tuition but for me it was cost of living that was the real beast. The price for two years in the dormitories and then rent for several years living in the (rather upscale) neighborhood near the university was what really forced me to borrow tens of thousands in student loans.
We also have the option of (non-private) student loans pegged to the amount of income that you earn.
Derik De Baun go Bruins!
Are you a Bruin too?
Without the grants UCLA can still cost $20k-$40k a year depending on your major though. Not the most expence UC but definitely on the cheaper side of American Universities.
Yes, nowadays, it can cost that much. Without grants my education from 2001-2006 would have been around $28 k...total...I'm glad I graduated when I did. I look at the prices now just 12 years later and balk but feel sorry for thousands of kids out of high school who are going to have to take out a mortgage basically to pay for a Bachelor's Degree.
UCLA BA, Math, Class of '79 here. When I went (commuting from home in Hollywood) there was no tuition and "fees" were ~$234/quarter. I've heard lately (cough cough) it's a bit more expense. Very sad that. Back on topic of comparison, in very large cities in the US (using Los Angeles as an example), there are public and private Universities (e.g. UCLA - state school, USC - private), Colleges (eg. Cal State - public altho now part of UC I think, Claremont Colleges - private) and city/locally run community colleges (Mt. Sac, LACC.) There are trade schools and other specialty schools (cosmetology, legal studies, art) that are mostly private. So depending where you are, there are choices, many low cost, but you can easily mount up 100's of 1000's of dollars in debt.
I’m from England but this is what American Grades are in British years
Reception (KS1) - American Equivilent (???)
Primary school (KS2)/ Elementary
1st Grade - Year 2
2nd Grade - Year 3
3rd Grade - Year 4
4th Grade - Year 5
5th Grade - Year 6
Secondary school (KS3)/ Middle school
6th Grade - Year 7
7th Grade - Year 8
8th Grade - Year 9
Secondary School (KS4)/ High School
9th Grade - Year 10
10th Grade - Year 11
Sixth Form (KS5)/ High school
11th Grade - Year 12
12th Grade - Year 13
Further Education
College - University
As a teacher, loved this video explaining how it works in the UK! Here in Australia (New South Wales), we start in Kindergarten (Year K) at 5yo and then all the way up to Year 6 (Age 12). High school goes from Year 7 to Year 12 (compulsory) at which point you do your HSC. Then you can choose to go onto University or TAFE (vocational studies).
Great vid, guys! Thanks :)
In New Zealand - Year 1 (children here start primary at 5) is what you call "Year K" in NSW. So this explains why we have our final (senior) year as Year 13.
Kindergarten is for kids under 5
Primary School is for year 1 - 6 (kids start at the age of 5)
Intermediate School is for year 7 - 8 or Junior High is Year 7 - 10
High School/Grammar School/College - year 9 - 13 or Senior High is Year 11 - 13
University is after and/or Polytechnic Colleges
The American education system is easier to understand. Basically, it's 1-2 years of kindergarten (optional). Starting at age 6, there's 12 years of education divided into 4 years each of elementary school, middle school and high school which ends with a high school diploma at age 18. Then each person must decide whether to enter the workforce, attend a 2 year trade school (also known as a junior college or community college) or go to university to pursue a bachelor's degree which typically takes 4 years to complete. That's all very simplified, of course. You can enter the workforce and still attend trade school or university on a part-time basis which many people do.
Four years of middle school? Where I grew up you had six years of elementary, two years of middle, and four years of high school OR eight years of elementary followed by four years of high school.
Oh, it varies from place to place. When I was in school, we had 5 years elementary, 4 years middle and 3 years high school. Years later, they built a new elementary school, renovated the middle school and expanded the high school and made them 4 each.
The total would be 13 years of required education.
From six weeks for some nurseries. In England you legally have to start education in school term after you are five but most start in September after you are four. If you are born in April to August you can also request to join school in September after you are five in reception instead of year one but they can refuse. In most school districts in England there is two tier system with primary then secondary. Primary is between the ages of four and eleven and seniors is between eleven and sixteen. Compulsory education is upto 18 but between 16 to 18 you also have the option of an apprenticeship. Also have the legal option in Uk to home educate.
The American K is equivalent to our year one. Pre k is like reception.
*English school system, I was hoping you'd mention slight differences with Scotland.
Rachel Saunders will have to do some reading on that as I'm unaware of the differences in Scotland!
Primary and Secondary Schools use different numberings. Primary 1 to 7 is P1 P2 P3 etc. Then high school is S1 to S6 instead of saying year 12 or something. You do 8 National 5s(worth about the same as GCSEs) in S4, 5 Highers in S5 (or a mix of Highers and Nat 5s if you didn't pass all) Highers are worth less than an A level. Then 3 Advance Highers (or more Highers if you didn't pass) in S6. Advance Highers are harder than A levels and equivalent to Uni first year. Universities only really look at your Highers your not expected to have advance highers. ALSO UNI IS 100% FREE FOR PEOPLE FROM SCOTLAND IRELAND AND EU
Damo2690 That’s interesting
Also worth mentioning you can do 9 Nat 5's if you choose to take PE/RE as a subject (maybe some schools don't allow this? mine did) and that there are Nat 4's too for those who find the Nat 5's too tricky but you can't go from a Nat 4 to a Higher you would have to do the Nat 4 then 5 then move onto the higher.
@@jackmellor5536 Have you listened to these two? They’re clueless about mostly everything, typical English.
OMG this was so helpful for me as I never really understood how the British school system works and I have a 3 year old who is going to nursery at the moment. Thanks!
This video was really interesting! I've always been so curious about British schooling because it's so different in America! My university was $30,000 a year and I went for 3 years. I wish it was only 10k a year!
It’s different here in Wales. Day nurseries (usually from 0-8yo), but they get picked up/dropped of by the day nursery staff (if needed) once they’ve started school, Day nurseries are only for parents who have work or are in college, You need to pay for your child to go to Day Nursery, some colleges do have a day nursery. Nursery is for (3-4yo), but it’s not mandatory, nurseries can be in a school or just on its own, Reception is for (4-5yo) (EYFP), Year 1 (5-6yo) and Year 2 (6-7yo) are all part of The Foundation Phase. Year 1 and 2 can also be called The Infants or Key Stage 1 (KS1).
Year 3 (7-8yo), Year 4 (8-9yo), Year 5 (9-10yo), Year 6 (10-11yo) are all called The Juniors or KS2.
Year 7 (11-12yo), Year 8 (12-13yo) and Year 9 (13-14yo) are all called KS3, Year 7 is the first year in Comprehensive/Secondary and Year 9 is when you choose what you want to do for the next 2 years. Year 10 (14-15yo) and Year 11 (15-16yo) are both called KS4 and are the 2 years you do your exams and Year 11 is the last school year forever. Best thing is you have a prom (copied from Americans), but weird schools have it before the exams, good schools have it after. Mine had it before, it’s like we were celebrating the START of the GCSE EXAMS
Specialty public schools exist but that is rare I believe. An example would be New York City public schools. Joel is correct. American universities do not expect an entering freshmen (generic term) to settle on a major until the of sophomore year. Public universities are state run and so tuition varies. This is for undergraduate education only. Graduate or professional schooling (e.g.-law, medicine, business) are a whole different thing.
In America, nursery is daycare (1month-3 years old), primary is preK (4yo), elementary is Kindergarten through 5th (5-10yo), junior high or middle school is 6th-8th (11-13yo), high school is 9th-12th (14-17yo) and students are referred to as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. Everything from K-12th grade are compulsory (required) but can be done in public school (state run), charter (partially state funded, but not state run), private (paid for by the students parents), or homeschooling (done by the parents). Private school can be parochial (religious) or secular (non-religious). Public and Private schools can also be standard curriculum or magnet programs. Magnet schools have an emphasis in an area of trade or talent... For instance, there's medicine, arts (music, theatre and/or visual arts), technology, etc. but they still have the standard curriculum that is required for all state schools with additional curriculum in their area of trade or talent. After the K-12 schooling, graduates have many choices. Go to work in a job/career that doesn't require additional study. You can attend a trade-school for specific study in a single trade... cosmetology, HVAC technician, auto mechanic, dental or medical assistant are all examples of trade-school career studies. Community colleges are under-graduate universities, they have Associate degrees or two-year degrees, and most offer trade certificate progams, like a trade school plus the basic college language, history and math requirements. Tuition is $3-9k a year... So many people go to community college and then transfer to a 4-year university in order to make college less expensive. 4-year universities (or just University or College) offer Bachelor and Masters degree programs, some offer Post-graduate study (lawyers and doctors go to these). Tuition at University can be $10k-ridiculous and most people cannot afford it (even with loans and/or scholarships). Speaking of loans, there are government and private student loans for all of the choices I have mentioned (although government loans can't be used for post-graduate education programs). There are also grants that can be used for 2 year, 4 year and post-graduate study in a college but are usually not available for trade-school education programs.
Thank you for making this video. It really helped me understanding the British education system I currently have to learn about at school. Greetings from Germany :)
In America you can pick a major before you go to college such as engineering, computer science. History, Music, Biology etc. Some kids aren't sure what they want to major in so they start out taking required classes and then take electives until they figure out what they like.
This is my school in the UK which is in south west England. We have primary school which contains Reception to Y6 and in Y6 you have to do SATS and then secondary school which contains Y7 to Y11 and in Y9 you have to do options where you have to do all core subjects like all sciences, maths english, sport, citezenship, ep and options is where you have 4 options subjects. You can do subjects like art, phychology, ict, GCSE ep, GCSE sport and many more. You also have to pick between geography and history or do both. Then in Y11 you do your GCSE which are tests. Next you have to go to sith form or an apprentiship till your 18. And after that you can go to uni.
We have non-mandatory daycare for kids from 6 to 8 weeks old until they are 5 by the end of August and then they will start Kindergarten for a year. Then grade or elementary school from 1st grade to 5th grade...then the kids go to a middle school from 6th through 8th grade...then there is high school from 9th through 12th grade...then some go to college.
In Australia it goes
Year 3-4 old kindy garden
4-5 old depending on your age/birth year and mounth it's called pre-primary
And then you start primary school Age 5-6 yr old year 1
Age 6-7 yr old year 2
Age 7-8 Yr old year 3
Age 8-9 yr old year 4
Age 9-10 yr old year 5
Age 10-11 yr old year 6
Then middle school comes in too affect
Age 11-12 yr old year 7
Age 12-13 yr old year 8
Age 13-14/15 yr old year 9
Then high school/ sinior school comes in
Age 15-16 yr old year 10
Age 16-17 yr old year 11
Age 17-18 yr old year 12
Then you graduate and then ither go to College, Tafe, University or non it's your choice .
In the US it starts out with Preschool, you don't have to go to preschool, or daycare, and then it is Kindergarten; which is about 4 or 5, and after that it is elementary, then Middle School, 2 years of Middle School, and lastly High School for 4 years from ages 14 to 18. In university you get 2 years of general classes that pretty much everyone has to take, the classes that are considered to give you a well rounded education. then you decide on your major and take 2 years of specialty classes in your field. A Bachelors usually takes 4 or so years if you go full time, but how long is really up to you. When I was in England we started with Infant school, then Junior school, and i think then it was Secondary Modern. It has been a while..... Thank you very much for the tutorial, and update.
As a British ex-pat who has lived in the US for many years, I want to clarify some of your statements. First, college and university in the US is the same thing. The only subtle difference is that colleges tend to offer fewer majors while universities have a broader range of majors and typically offer postgraduate degrees including Masters and Doctoral degrees. They both offer university degrees at the associate (2-year degree) and bachelor level (4-year degree - same as honors). A University education can be very expensive depending on the school and how you approach obtaining your degree. However, it's possible to significantly reduce the cost of university education by attending a state university rather than a private university. In addition, if you attend a state university, and there are some superb state universities (Virginia, Michigan, Penn State, University of California Los Angeles or University of California Berkley). They offer major discounts on the cost of a university education if you are a student accepted from that state and are defined as an in-state student. Out of state students pay a much higher cost. For example, the University of Virginia charges $17,500 for an in-state student but $48,000 for an out of state student per year. In addition, many of these large state universities have branch or satellite campuses where you can complete 2 years' worth of work towards your bachelor's while living at home so you only need to pay tuition so that would reduce the cost by another 50% for those 2 years. The bottom line is that a university education is expensive but it is possible to significantly reduce the cost.
In the US, after High School you can go Community College which is like your Sixth years or you can go straight to a University. You can pick your own classes or if you get into a "program" like engineering or other specialty the classes are programmed for you.
Thank you. Exactly the info I was needing. I was wondering if anyone could comment on how U.K. students are allocated or assigned to the school they attend & how schools are funded. In the US, if you attend public (free) school (K - 12th grade) you are assigned to a particular “school district” based on the location of your home. This has a lot of practical sense but it also has many flaws - because school funding is not consistent across school districts. School districts in more wealthy areas receive more funding because the residents of the district pay more in taxes - but funding is also tied to district wide performance on standardized tests, and wealthier school districts always have higher exam scores. The wealthier districts have this advantage because of many social-economic factors at play - but overall it is because the schools and staff and students body are much much more stable.
Generally in the United States there are 3 stages of Public School: Elementary school is Kindergarten to 5th/6th grade, middle school is typically 6th/7th to 8th grade, and high school is 9th to 12th grades. Then after you graduate from High School, you can either go to a Community College or Vocational School to get a 2 year degree and then into the work field OR onto a University, if you choose, to transfer for a 4 year degree. Private Schools are a totally separate thing.
This is a GREAT video! Thanks for doing this one. For decades I've been confused about, and curious about, how the school system works in England (i.e., the structure, the terminology) . (FYI: I'm an American.) Before now, I've only heard little snippets of info being said by some British person or another; and I wasn't sure what they meant when they used expressions like "sixth form" or "A levels". But now, because i watched this video, I think I have a much better picture of what the entire system there is like.
I've seen other comments to this video where someone has already explained the school system here in the US; so I won't go into detail about that here. But I did make some of my own comments (elsewhere in this comments section) to amplify the explanation of US college and university studies.
Thanks you guys, this helped me a lot to prepare for my presentation on the British school system! :)
I'm from Argentina. And fortunately, here we have state (or public, as we call them) schools, colleges, and universities, so we don't have to pay for education at all. There are also private schools so you can choose.
Here we have:
- Daycare (until 3 years old/optional/you have to pay)
- Kindergarten (4 years old/optional/public or private)
- Pre-School (5 years old/mandatory/public or private)
- Primary School (6-12 years old/mandatory/public or private)
- Secondary School (13-18 years old/mandatory/public or private)
Then you can choose your higher education between:
- Third Education (between 2-3 years of duration/optional/public or private). In college (not sure this would be the right translation), or as we call it here Third Education, you get an undergraduate degree (Bachelor's degree). If available for your career, you can then go to university and get a graduate degree (I think this would be the equivalent degree) (2-3 more years of duration).
- or go directly to University (between 5-6 years of duration/optional/public or private). Going to college or university will depend on the career you choose. Some are studied at colleges, others at Universiy. University careers are longer than college careers and they're more prestigious because of the longer duration. In Medicine, for example, university lasts 6 years approx. (1 or 2 of observation and practice at a local hospital + 5 of regular study) and then you have the Residency levels (aprox. 3 more years of duration), which is mainly practice in general medicine (here called clinical medicine). Those years of your life you actually don't have a life, you're a zombie who almost lives at the hospital. Finally, if you don't want to work as a clinician, you specialise in any other field of medicine such as gastroenterology, haematology, cardiology, etc.
Until a few years ago, public primary and secondary schools were considered as prestigious as private ones, but now, that has changed. On the other hand, public college and university are considered a lot better than private ones.
Unfortunately, the last populist governments have undermined public education in Argentina.
Hope this information is useful or interesting for someone.
I'm from the US. Here you start preschool around age 3 or 4 I think. It largly depends on how mature you are for your age. If you can follow directions you might start earlier. Perschool isn't required but is highly recommended. You start elementary school with kindergarten around age 5 and this is required. Then you start first grade at around age 6 and go until grades five or six depending on what your local school system has decided for the cut off point. In fifth grade you are around age 10 or 11 in sixth grade you are 11 or 12. That's when you start middle school or Jr high and that usually goes until eighth (8th) grade when you are about 14. Then you move on to high school which is grades 9-12. You graduate at around 18 unless you get held back or
What have you. You can then choose to 1: do nothing and try to find a job 2: go to votech or a trade school where you can be like a plumber or a mechanic or 3: you can go to college. No college is really paid for in the US by the government. I hesitate to say that though because most people do go to college with help in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans some of which are provided by the government but can also come from private sources such as your parents workplace. The rest is covered by you out if pocket (,with your own money). There are various kinds of colleges as well. There are 2-year colleges if you want as cheap as possible and many of these offer both votech (trade school) and libral arts like English math or history. You either earn a certificate of some sort or your associates degree here. Then there are 4-year colleges and universities. Here you usually earn a bachelor's degree and they cost more than 2-year colleges. There are public or state funded universities and private colleges too (both are four or more years). The state colleges and universities (University of Minnesota or Wisconsin state for example) are usually cheaper than your private schools. Private schools are also a lot of times harder to get into (you have to apply and hope to get accepted into schools after 12th grade) but are seen as more prestigious or elite even though some state schools might be equally great. You can then go on to graduate school and earn your master's, Ph. D, or Doctorate and each of these usually adds another two years to your schooling. you have to get your bachelor's before your master's, your master's before your Ph. D (I think) etc. So if you want a higher degree your going to be in school for a long time. Also those scholarships, grants, and most loans will not help you pay for anything above a bachelor's degree and graduate school as it's called usually costs more than normal college no matter what school you choose. A lot of people can also choose to live on campus for an added cost and many places require you to do so for the first year. To get into any college in the first place however, you have to take standard tests including the ACT or SAT depending on which your college requires. If you choose to go to a 2-year college then you have to take a similar test called the accuplacer. You then apply to the schools of your choice (most people apply to more than one) and as many scholarships as you possibly can as well as the FAFSA which is the application for a the grants and loans from the government. All colleges will require you to fill out (apply for) and provide you FAFSA information. Basically I recommend starting your college career, if you choose to go, in 11th grade, or the year before you graduate high school cuz it's a really lengthy process. Also you are not required to go to college for a certain number of years. For example, you can go to a two year school for one or three years and a four year school for five depending on how many credits you take each semester (half school year). You basically go until you get your degree or drop out. Some four year school may get mad at you if you go more than five years though. Phew lengthy comment and yea school is confusing here.
Very interesting! I often watch the U.K. Parliament and so now I understand more about why tuition fees for university are such a hotly debated topic. £9000 sounds quite high.
It is really high, and especially when many graduates don't have great prospects for earnings. As J&L say, it used to be £1000 and then £3000 and then it jumped all the way to £9000. The intention was that there would be a market economy, and only the top-class universities would charge the full £9000 while less popular and less prestigious universities would charge maybe half that. Of course, what then happened was that universities realised that (a) if they charged less than £9000 then students would think they were not as good as others, and so wouldn't apply to go to them, and (b) as students weren't having to put the money up front themselves but were getting a loan to cover the full costs, they were far less bothered about the price differential than people had thought they would be ... so pretty much every university does charge the maximum allowed.
The U.S. is extremely expensive, even the more "affordable" ones. People get into debt just to get an education-- it's absolutely ridiculous. Soon only really rich people will be able to get higher education.
It is high if you have to pay for it yourself and you don’t have rich parents.
In the USA... public school is considered free education...but it is far from free. You have 2 pages of supplies you have to take on the 1st day of school and then there are fees that can add up pretty quickly. The higher the grade the more expensive the fees. Our school system is K5 (5 year old) and 1st - 12th grades... beginning 1st grade after 6th birthday.
So the thing about College is that some people know what they want and go to certain colleges for that. But for other u can go in undecided and take alot of classes but most places make choose a major(what u want to study and get a degree in) by ur second or sophomore year of College. The name work for both College and high school. 1st year - freshmen, 2nd year - sophomore, 3rd year - junior, 4th year - senior
Here, in the states, the terms, "freshman," "sophomore," "junior," and "senior," are determined by how many credits you have taken (as determined by the number of classes and grades you get). So, a freshman is a first year student, a sophomore is a second year student, a junior is third year student, and a senior is in their 4th (or more) years. For those who are going for advanced degrees, they will just say something like they are a "master's" student, or a "doctoral" student, depending on their program of study. Typically, people will start off getting a Bachelor's degree, then, later on, may pursue a Master's, then a Doctorate/Ph.D.
Some “high schools” here in the US (9-12 grade 14-18 yrs old) are having “academies” or specific studies. One school my friend went to has 3 schools in one each one had their own floor and the staff and classes all contained to that floor. One was more general while the other two schools two had specific studies one was of social justice for those who want to go into law, politics and social service and the other one was medicine and science bases for students interested in that career path. The students are combines in sports and other extra curricular activities
in the US the way college is more like the first two years they want you to take general education classes like algebra, chemistry, psychology, etc they are required, and then the last two years you take the classes that pertain to your degree. You can go into college here with degree you want, but you still have to take those two years or however long it takes you to meet those requirements. Other people don't really know what they want to do in life so they start college by taking those pre-requisite classes that I mentioned, and then they declare what degree they want to pursue.
American school explained: When you are 5-11 you are in elementary school, then when you are 11-14 you go to middle school, then when you are 14-18 you go to high school, lastly you can choose to go to college but you don’t have to. You can also go for 1 to sometimes even 10 years
Not entirely accurate. Some states are different. Elementary 5 to 12 grades kindergarten to sixth. Junior high 12 to 15 grades 7 to 9, and High school 15 to 18 grades 10 to 12. After that is a college, or university. Colleges can offer Associate degrees average is 2 years, and 4 Bachelor degrees average is 4 years. Universities can offer all degree levels. Levels beyond Bachelor are Masters about 6 years to complete, and Doctorate about 8 years to complete. Times can vary depending on the individual student.
@@jonok42 use punctuation to separate ages from grades or write the word ages. It is very confusing to understand what you are trying to say.
I'm from Italy and the schooling system here is quite different. From the age of 3 you can go to nursery then you start primary school (which we call elementary school) in your six up until 10, so it's 5 yeaes of primary school. After that, we have middle school consisting of three years, then you go to secondary school. There is a wide range of secondary schools you can choose from. There are "licei" which are schools that usually expect you to go to university and "professionali" which complete schools giving you access to the work environment already.
I never knew that yall’s formal schooling ended at 16.
In America we now go to school from 4-17/18. I didn’t go to school until I turned 5. I started in Kindergarten, and then after that first year you go to elementary school until 5th grade (in some places 6th grade is still Elementary). For me 6th-8th grade was what we call Middle School or Junior High. Then 9th-12th grade is High School or Secondary school. Your 12th grade year is your Senior year. After that year you can then decide to either head to a 2 year college or a 4 year university, or even a trade school, or military. Once you graduate at 17 or 18 then you are an adult and it’s time to make some choices. I love seeing how different schools are in different countries.
I pay for my college education with Grant money and some loans. $9K a year is really great especially if you live on campus on the dorms on a meal plan. My Freshman year of college when I was 18 was $12k. I lived on campus and was on meal plan.
ern1406 we don’t finish school at 16 now the government changed it to 18 and has been like that for about 5 years now
In Dorset there are three-tier schools, First, Middle and Upper schools. First school is Reception to Year 4 (Age 4 to 9). Middle school is year 5 to year 8 (Age 9 to 13) and SATs are done in the middle of this, at the end of year 6. Upper schools are Year 9 to Year 11 (Age 13 to 16) however most upper schools in my area have attached sixth forms so they finish at 18 instead, however you can opt out and go to college or into an apprenticeship, etc..
Thank you so much for this video! I just started working for an educational british company and was completely lost with the UK system! It's so different from US!
Australia
1. Kindergarten (Kindy) - 1 year
2. Pre-primary - 1 year
3. Primary School - Year 1-6 (used to be till year 7)
4. High School - Year 7-12
5. TAFE (apprenticeships and basic higher education like certificates and diplomas) or University (where you do a bachelor in an undergraduate degree, and a masters and PhD in postgraduate)
Hi, Joel and Lia, I just wanted to say that I love your videos and you guys have been teaching me so much. I'm doing a degree in foreign languages (English and German) and I'm taking a particular interest in the English language and linguistics.
Take care and keep up the good work xox 😘
In the American university system the first two years are spent covering general knowledge subjects. In the last two years, you become more specialized because you pick a major concentration of study. I picked English Literature as my major for the last two years of university. There are several general knowledge required courses that you have to finish in the first two years of American college.
I don't believe you at all because that's NOT how it works at all.
@@amylathrop8329 I am American born and bred. I have lived here all my life. I went to college. I know how things work.
Not everyone at a US university or college enters with an undeclared major. Most will enter with a declared major. California's post-secondary public schools do require that all students take what are known as General Education classes (things like sociology, biology, psychology, English, US History, etc.) during the first two years (referred to as lower division) with the bulk of classes for the major during the last two years (known as upper division). It is, however, normal to take foundation (introductory level) courses related to your major during the first two years to be prepared for upper division work.
American university is 4 years. The first 2 years are general education requirements - literature, writing, math, science, social science, arts, etc. The second two years are the professional sequence. So, if you are going into engineering, most of the engineering classes would be taken then. Most universities do not require students to declare a major course of study until their 3rd year. They want the student to experience many different fields before settling on one. Most student change majors at least five times before knowing what they really want to do.
Nursery in America can start as early as 8 weeks old (which is believed to be the largest contributing factor in America having the highest infant mortality rate amongst developed nations). Pre-school can starts between age 3 and 5, some communities offer this as part of their public school, some don't. Elementary begins at age 5, but a parent may choose not to start their child until age 6. The first year is called Kindergarten (parents may opt to allow their student to test out of this, but it is rarely done), the next year is 1st grade. The ending grade of elementary varies by the community from grade 4 to grade 8. Most communities have a middle school or Junior high school, some have both. These schools range from 5th to 9th grade. If a community has both middle school is the lower grades. If a community one has one of these then High school begins in grade 9. We finish high school at 18 after finishing grade 12. Two years of university everyone takes the same classes which are called basic classes(3 maths, 4 English, physical education, 2 foreign language, 3 sciences, 3 social studies, and 6 electives). A few communities offer what is called Community college, which covers the basic classes. Going to a community college generally shaves a year or 2 off the amount of time that must be spent at a University and a student receives an Associate of Art or Associate of Science degree depending on the elective classes they choose. Community college is cheaper than University and some communities offer it for free if you have graduated high school from the same county the CC is located in. If you are a full-time student and only take the class required for 1 degree, University should take 4 to 5 years and a bachelor degree is earned. If you continue a masters degree may be earned, taking 3 to 7 years to complete. The last level is a doctorate degree and generally would take another 3 to 7 years to complete.
In the US, it is similar to the UK we choose a major or a pathway before (or you can go general education/undeclared) and then your classes are based on that. But you can change your major or pathway when you are in school
Thank you very much. I doing my speaking language endorsement on everything wrong with the education system and this helped me understand it more and gave me ideas. Thank you
So.many.Questions.
1. Regarding nursery: Do you have to pay for nursery? Can you choose part time vs. Full time for your child? Can you choose between different educational styles? (For example: Montessori)
2. How can you encourage your child to be A level?
3. Is there any supplemental or after school or summer turoring?
4. What about extra curricular things like dance, music, sport... are the children limited to specific choices? (For example, many schools in the U.S. don't even have music and arts programs anymore.)
In the US, after high school you can go to community colleges to take your core classes, like math and English. It’s a lot cheaper and it gives you more time to figure out your major. I even got my associates degree, which is a two year degree, in general arts. That means when I start at a university I’ll go in as a junior, or 3rd year. Most programs last 4 years. Most people choose a major of study before starting at a university, but they have the option of switching programs. I’m about to go back to school and it’ll cost me about $5000 a year with books, but the university closer to my home would cost about $23000 a year. It can get pretty crazy and sometimes cost ends up being the deciding factor between schools.
PRIMARY SCHOOL:
5/6- 1st year
6/7- 2nd year
7/8- standard one
8/9- standard two
9/10- standard three
10/11- standard four
11/12- standard five
Before first year we have preschool/kindergarten but those are optional. In standards 1-4 we write the national tests for assessment and to place us in percentiles. In standard five we write the Secondary Entrance Assessment Exam (S.E.A.) aka common entrance exam and are placed in one of our four choice schools according to our exam scores.
SECONDARY SCHOOL:
12/13- form one
13/14- form two
14/15- form three
15/16- form four
16/17- form five
17/18- form six(lower six)
18/19- form six(upper six)
In forms one to three we do all the subjects on the school's curriculum(about 20) and from form four we choose our own subjects(about 10). In form three we write the National Certificate of Secondary Education(NSCE) exam(for no reason at all in my opinion) and in form five we write a regional exam called Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and this exam is also known as O levels.Form six is also known as A levels and is optional. After O levels or A levels if one chooses, we go to university.
NB. Secondary school, high school and college are all considered the same thing where I'm from
Hello! American here. Things I would like to clarify. College and university can be intertwined as the same meaning. But on an academic standpoint in the US, these two higher institutions are different. Colleges tend to only serve Associate’s Degrees (below a Bachelor). It’s usually 2 years of what we call “general education”, which covers ALL the high school classes we had in high school (secondary school in the UK). So it will have different categories, and for the most part you can choose whatever classes satisfy your “degree major”. Like for example, everyone has to take College Level Math, College English, Critical Thinking, Physical Science, Biology Science, Social Science, Arts & Humanities, etc.
Depending on your degree major, determines which classes of those categories you can choose in order to satisfy the requirements. Like for example, I was a Social and Behavioral Science major in college. I was required to take math since it is a required General Ed, but I was given several options for which math class. Like Statistics, Social and Behavioral Stats, Psychology Stats, College Algebra, and Calculas. Where as my peers who majored in engineering did not have those choices, but were required to take Calculas to satisfy their math requirements. On the other hand, I had to take certain Sociology classes. Such as research in social methods, where as my engineering friends had much variety options, like US government, history, psychology etc. Even tho social science had no relation to their major. All majors have meet certain college units/credits to satisfy the required general education courses. Like for example, I also had to take a critical thinking class, i was given choices to critical think and analyze English literature, take eastern or western philosophy, or take a public speech class that focused on arguing and debate (which I took, cuz I hate writing and reading). Upon completed of all the general Ed classes, you then have earned yourself the Associates Degree and have completed college, you can use that diploma and transcript to apply and transfer to a 4 year institution (university) if you want your bachelors, cuz colleges only go up to 2 years. You would be transferring as an undergrad and be entitled to joining as a upper division student (university students who completed their lower division classes/general education classes).
University in the US holds undergraduate degrees (bachelor) and hold masters and doctors. For bachelor’s degree, you have to knock out and satisfy all the remaining major classes, rather than general ed classes. So this time, you would no longer be required to take math, science, arts, music, etc. Unless it’s specifically related to your major. Like for example, as a social worker student, all my classes would specifically be in relation to my degree, and not anything else! Major classes are called upper division classes in the US.
Students who wish to not go to college (2 years) but go straight to a 4 year institution (4 years) from high school can certainly do so! But they are also required to complete their general education classes! In university, they are considered lower division classes. Once they complete those courses, they can take their upper division classes (major specific classes). College graduates (Associates Degree) do not.
Hope this helped.
Thanks. It is actually really useful for international people with children working in the Uk which you forget to mention 😊
When I went to school in the 50/60's, it was infant, junior and senior school, I was 4 when I started but cos my aunt was a teacher I could already read quite well by then.
Love your videos! If it helps anyone watching - High school in America is equivalent to Year 10, 11, 12 and 13. However years 12 and 13 in the uk are what we refer to as sixth form or college depending on where you go
Did you have to take a foreign language in Secondary? In America primary starts with 1st grade (there is Kindergarten which is age 5) and goes to 6th grade in some areas and 7th grade in other areas. There there could be Middle School or Junior High School. Thats 7-9. In other areas there's High School grade 8 to 12 or 10 to 12. In Middle School you take advanced math. Algebra 1 and 2 then Geometry 1 and 2. In high school you take foreign language 1 and 2 and SHOP which can be electronics, auto shop, plastics. History, Biology, PE is required from age 6 to age 21 by law (started by President Kennedy). You can drop out at age 16 with parental consent. If you're smart in 11th and 12th grade you take AP Chemistry, AP Physics, Contemporary American Problems (Poly Sci). Classes are in different classrooms. YOu have a HOME ROOM which is where you get information and stuff. Then it's like English, NUTRITIOIN (like Recess) PE, Spanish 1, LUNCH, Biology, History, Home Room. Leave. If you're on a college major it's a full day 8:30 am to 3:15 pm.If you aren't a college major you can arrange to go home at 1:30 to 2:30. You graduate grade 12 at age 17/18. From there you go to either 2 year college or 4 year college which is LIBERAL ARTS. 2 Year college is consider grades 13 and 14. Small class rooms (30-40 students). PE is still required (Tennis, soccer, ballet, pantomime, handball, volleyball). In both High School, 2year and 4 year college there are competitive sports. Basketball and American Football. In college both can be Majors. We have illiterate students who can't add that go to college fully paid on a Football or Baseketball scholarship and if they come out they end up on professional teams making $50,000+ a year to start. College is Liberal Arts. 40 Credits major (such as science, premed, history, math, theater, English) and 80 credits called "solids" which is English Comp, Poly Sci, History, English grammar, General Science, College Math (Algebra 3), any arts class (music appreciation, art appreciation, dance). Some colleges are just 4 years. Some are considered Universities. After you graduate after 4 years you can go to Grad School if your grades are good. That is 2 years intense studies in a major, such as English, Computers, Language, History or 1 year study and a thesis or dissertation approved by the department. After this is the Doctoral program which goes UNTIL they award your Doctorate. Basically it's RESERACH. If you're an astronmer you work on a team that might go to CERN and youi might be stuck there for 4 or 5 years doing a study that gets published. That gets you our PHD. You have write a disseration which tells the staff something they never knew before and you have to prove it and they question you on it. You can also go to Specialty schools. Medicine. Law. Psychology, Phramacy. These are 4 years long (Pharmacy is 3 years) and give you an MD Degree, a Dental Degree (DDS or DMD) a pshycology degree (PHD) a Law Degree (JD) or a Phramacy Degree (Pharm D). Nurses can go for 2 years and become RNs in most states. There is also a 4 year RN program. There is also a NP or Nurse Practioner program for nurses with Masters Degrees and 4 or 6 years work experience that makes them practioners who can diagnose and treat people and recomend drugs. They have to work under and MD. After you get your MD after 8 years (4 college 4 med scholl) you have to Resident in Internal Medicine for 1 year (used to be called Internship) then you can get a license to practice. You have the option to go 4 to 8 years after you get your license to advanced specialty such as surgery, urology, cardiology, psychiatry, podietry (food doctor), internal medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, imunology, radiology. These are 2 to 5 years after residence. You have the option to learn a super speciality called a FELLOWSHIP such as Trauma Care, Emgerncy Room Medcine. You apply to a hospital that trains in special orthopedics or trama care. And you work there full time for 1, 2, 3 years until the followship ends. Now you're like 34 or 35 years old with 27 to 29 years of training and you get placed in a great hospital working and teaching or you go into private practice and make $500,000+ a year as a super specialist. Those with jsut the 9 or 10 years after high school make $200,000 to $250,000 and work at Urgent Care or Contracting or on Staff at hospitals or as Associates at some small office. These people send you to see the Super Specialists. That's the American education system. Nursery school age 4 to 16 and drop out or to 12 and graduate or to 16 and get out of college and into $40,000 a year jobs or to 18 and get professional jobs makeing $80,000+ or to 20 and 21 being scientists and making $100,000+ a year teaching college or doing reserarch or working for IBM, Pizer, Johnson and Jonson or going a full 24 to 29 years and becoming specliasits making $350,000+ to start as surgeon, cariologists, psychiatrists, etc.
In Czech republic the education system is completely different.
At the age of 2-4 you go to the nursery (unlike in the UK you have to attend the nursery).
At the age of 6-7 you go to the ''basic school'' which is like elementary school in the US and that's where it gets really different. The basic school has 9 grades which are sepparated in 2 degrees (the 1st degree are years 1-5 and the 2nd degree are years 6-9).
The 1st degree is just about the basics and when you go to the 2nd degree you just go deeper in what you've learnt so far and you add new things ofc.
At the end of year 9 you have to do the entrance exams for ''middle school'' which is like high school in the US. You go there at the age of 15-16.
Everyone has to attend the middle school but you can go either to what we call it ''gymnázium'' (the hardest option) which is for 4 years or the ussual middle school which is focused on some topic like electricity, programming, healthcare etc. and that is also for 4 years.
For the bad graders (usually) there are the training institutions where you can learn to cook, repair things, build houses and things like these. You don't have to do the entrance exams for the training institution but you cannot graduate from these.
There are even more kinds of middle schools, but these are the most common ones.
When you graduate from the middle school you can go to the high school which is like college in the US.
You don't have to attend high school, but employers like to see these in biographies.
Nursery 2-4 - 5 y.o.
Basic school 6-7 - 15-16 y.o.
Middle school 16-17 - 20-21 y.o.
High school 20-21 - 24-25 and older
Preschool 3-4
Elementary School:
Kindergarten 5-6
1st grade 6-7
2nd grade 7-8
3rd grade 8-9
4th grade 9-10
5th grade 10-11
6th grade 11-12
Junior High:
7th grade 12-13
8th grade 13-14
Highschool:
9th grade (freshmen) 14-15
10th grade (sophomore) 15-16
11th grade (juniors) 16-17
12th grade (seniors) 17-18
College/workplace/trade School after that
(junior high may also include 6th grade and then be called middle school just depends on the school district)
In the USA, formal education starts at "kindergarten" and then we have 12 years of school (grades 1-12). Once done, you can go to work; get vocational training for a certificate (6 months to a year); go to junior/community colleges for two years and get an associate's degree; or go to a four-year college or university and get a Bachelor's degree. After that, should you choose, you can go to graduate school and get a Master's degree. if you want, you can get further educated and get a Ph.D., Ed.D, MD, or a law degree.Those programs are another 2-8 years. So, by ages (if you do it all consecutively), goes like this:
K (5 years old, or turning 6 if your birthday is after September -- I'll use the latter from here)
1-5 (Elementary/Primary school, age 7-11)
6-8 (Middle/Junior High School, still Primary, age 12-14)
9-12 (High/Secondary School, age 15-18)
One is required by many states to be in school until age 18, some states are more lax on that law, so you see a high dropout rate pre-high school completion.
You can get an Associate's Degree by 20, a Bachelor's degree by 22 years of age, Master's at 24, and the others by 30 years of age.
And you can go $20k - millions in debt depending on how far you take your education.
This was really, really, really helpful!!
Malaysian education system is mainly based on exam-paper performance like most asian countries. In Malaysia, they were supposed to continue the English education system after their independance. However, they are not really the same and a mixture of American and British English. Children go to "kindergarten" and not infant school, between 4-6 years old.. Then, they go to Primary school (7-12 years old) and Secondary school (13-17 years old). At the age of 17, they have a national exam which is equivalent to GCSE..Students can decide to work or pursue their Pre-U studies for another 2 years depending on their exam results and financial situation.
if you study 3 a-levels at college in the uk then it's a 6th form. 6th form college is not always attached to your secondary school. if you just study one specific subject then the course is called a BTEC (idk what it stands for tho) and that is at a college.
Where I live in the US, we have preschool which is up to 4 then you can go to pre-kindergarten (which is optional) then go to primary school which is kindergarten-2nd grade then on to elementary school which is 3rd-5th grad then middle school is 6th-8th grad and high school is 9th-12th grade
I am actually so glad for our easy Czech system, we have one mandatory year of preschool (kindergarten) from 6-15 theres a primary school where are kids sorted based on their location, then they choose their secondary school (which can be anything from a plumbers apprentice school to a strict schools for kids from posh families), and then, for those who can make it, they go to a uni or college and thats it. And all tuition is free of charge, unless you opt for a private school (there aren't many though)
In NI we go to nursery at 3 and start primary at 4, sometimes 5 depending on when your birthday falls. After 7 years there, you go to high school for 5 years and then you can chose to go into 6 form or move on to tech/collage. Then uni if you want after that.
Where I live in America, we have Kindergarten at 5 in one school. 1st-3rd grade in elementary. 4th-6th is middle. 7th & 8th is Jr. High and 9th-12th is High School. Then off to college/university at the age of 18 for around 4 years normally, but this is depending on major and if you switch majors.
I was randomly talking to somebody in the UK (they had like a question/answer segment) about schooling, and was told that the price in the UK went up for schooling because of how 'well' it is doing in America, so they thought they'd "take a cue" from the Americans. It made sense to me, especially when people compare the two so much. I am American and only asked because some of my UK friends were telling me it was still free to go to university over there.. and I didn't think it was (I also didn't think it had gone up that much though).
We have to take basics in college like math, language arts/english, science and history. Our second year of college/university we have to pick a major to stick with like psychology to possibly be a psychologist or choose to go into child learning and development to become an elementary school teacher.
In American colleges and universities, you first take your general course requirements (math, science, etc.) usually for the first 2 years, and then you must select your major course of study. You take the classes specific to your major course of study for the next 2-3 years until you graduate. I changed my major like 3 times before figuring out what I really wanted to do so I'm glad that was allowed here.
In America we have Nursery until you're three or four and then you can attend Pre-K which are both optional. And then you have kindergarten and which is also optional in Most states and Texas it is. And then you have 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ,5th that is that's usually considered grammar or elementary. Then you go to 6th 7th and 8th which is junior high or middle school. then you go to 9th 10th 11th and 12 which is High School. also High School and Junior High are considered secondary school.
In the U S., school for ages 3-4 is called pre-school. At age 5, you go to kindergarten. At age 6, you start first grade, followed by 2nd grade. Those two years are considered primary school. The next two years are called middle schoo (3rd and 4th grade). The next two are called elementary school (5th and 6th grade). The next two years are called Jr. high school (7th and 8th grade), followed by 4 years of high school. You then graduate at age 18. Should you wish to end school earlier, you can, if you pass a test called the G.E D.(General Equivalency Degree). This ensures that you have the most important skills that High School was designed to teach you.
While in high school, you can choose to take classes for a few hours a day at the vocational school, which is designed to teach a skill to those who don't want to go to college. Also, honor students, in towns where there is a technical college, can choose to spend a few hours a day taking courses for college credit. Finally, in some states, a few honor students from the 11th grade of each school, an be chosen to attend the "Governor's School of Science and Mathematics" for two years.
In closing, what I have just described to you is a general layout. There are some towns where the grouping of grades are slightly different, or where other programs are available.
For some reason Leicester has a completely different schooling system...you start secondary school at the beginning of year 6, to complete your SATs. We are at secondary school until the end of year 9 (my year). Next year, every year 9 is leaving for the biggest school but everyone just calls the school by its name. You complete your GCSE and A-levels at this school and then go to university..
In the Czech Republic we have nursery schools as well but the age span is different. Children go there up until the point when they turn 6. Then we start primary school (age 6 to 15) which has 9 years and it is divided into the first half (first 5 years) and the second half (remaining 4 years). After primary school we go to secondary school and that's the time for us to start thinking about what we would like to do in the future. So according to that we choose our secondary school (there are basically three types) at which we study for 4 years. So we only get one prom (unlike Americans) at the age of 18 or 19 and that's it. Then people may go to University but, as you said, it's not compulsory. As a matter of fact, not even secondary schools are compulsory but most people go because otherwise no one would employ them. University is for free for a certain number of years in which people are expected to graduate. But it happens quite often that people don't manage to pass all their exams in time or they struggle to submit their BA or MBA theses in time and in that case we only get one extra year to catch up. If we don't, then we have to start paying around 1,260 pounds per year. But for us students, who barely manage to balance work, school and private life, it's actually quite a lot. I guess money is the reason, prices and salaries in the Czech Republic are extremely different from the rest of the world, I feel.
Schooling is compulsory in the UK up to 16 (and up to 18 in some form of education or training) This is free unless parents choose to pay for private schooling. The term "Public School" in the UK goes right back to the days before Government funded compulsory schooling. Anyone back then could be admitted to a Public School as long as they could pay. This was distinct from private schools such as those set up by privaye organisations specifically for the children of people in those organisations. Near where I live in suburban London, there is a school called Haberdashers which I think was set up originally by the Guild of Haberdashers in the old City of London to educate the children of the members of that guild. These days, its an academically selective fee paying school.
Yes, Government funded state run schools are called Public School. Private School is Boarding School and Religious Schools not supported by property taxes.
Nursery School/Headstart/Preschool is Age 3-4 and is optional
Elementary/Primary is set up differently in big cities verses rural areas. Students cannot drop out from school until age 16. Many drop outs go to community colleges (2 year schools, trade certificates) to get a GED (General Education Development) which you get by passing a test.
Generally, Kindergarten-5th or 6th grade
Age 5-6, Kindergarten
Age 6-7, 1st grade
Age 7-8, 2nd grade
Age 8-9, 3rd grade
Age 9-10, 4th grade
Age 10-11, 5th grade
Age 11-12, 6th grade
Middle School is more big city and Junior High is more rural areas.
This can be Grades 6-8, 7-8, 6-9, however the school district sets it up.
Age 12-13, 7th grade
Age 13-14, 8th grade Big city schools often have Graduation ceremony
Secondary School/High School is where we get Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior titles.
Depends how school district is set up, some big cities separate 9th grade from high school.
Age 14-15, 9th grade/Freshman
Age 15-16, 10th grade/Sophomore
Age 16-17, 11th grade/Junior
Age 17-18, 12th grade Senior, High School graduation ceremony
US Post-Secondary Education is optional and paid by student. There are:
Trade schools where you earn a certificate like a welder, secretary, beautician, etc. Often construction workers start in apprenticeships to get certified.
Community Colleges often give trade certificates and associate degrees (2 year degree). These receive government funds that lower the cost for students to pay.
Associate degree can specialize like accounting, dental hygienist or general studies including Math, Science, English, Social Studies (4 main fields in American education). Graduation usually Age 20.
Private (not from government) Colleges and Government supported Universities give Bachelor's Degrees (4 year degree). These use the Secondary titles Freshman for Year 1, Sophomore for Year 2, Junior for Year 3, and Senior for Year 4. Graduation is usually Age 22.
1st 2 years of this education are in general studies (Math, Science, English, Social Studies)
2nd 2 years specialize in a major and/or minor, like a Journalism major may minor in political science.
Universities give Master's Degree and then Doctorate degrees (PHD) which are called Graduate School. Must have a Master's to apply for Doctorate school. These take as long as it takes to complete and their Thesis approved to receive their degree. Many corporation owners have an MBA (Master's of Business Administration). Community College professors can have a Master's degree to teach, but Colleges and Universities require a PHD to teach.
Then there are Law School and Medical School that require a Bachelor degree to apply. They have their own separate system of education to complete.
Hope this explains American Education.
When I was in high school, we had to pay class dues in order to graduate.
I recently had to explain our entire school system to a Scottish friend when I only meant to tell him an AS grade! Didn't realise that the systems were different in Scotland 😃 x
Ye I live in scotland
I find it really interesting!!! I just always thought that Brit’s called “University” anything after high school (secondary school). In the U.S., college is a term used for what you go straight into after high school. Although, our “college” sounds like your “university”
Yeah I think high school lasts longer for you guys where as we finish it early and go to college for 2 years then we go to uni at 18 years old
we had senior school - removes, lower fourth, upper fourth, lower fifth, upper fifth and then leave at 16. Did cordon bleu college which was shit and then secretarial college and was a legal secretary for 12 years.
I finally understand this system! Thank you so much! Your videos are so helpful!
Elizabeth Oastler no problem! Thanks for watching
In the US, an in state public university is about $13,000 with transportation and books (around 10,000 pounds per year). Scholarships, grants, work study, and loans are available to help students pay for college. If you live at home, work, apply for scholarships, it's really not that hard for college to be affordable. If you are a hardworking person who is willing to put the effort in you're education, than you can come out with little or no debt. The students who have 100K in loans were not smart to choose a private university that they can't afford and that's their fault, not the government's.
In high population areas schools are broken down more:
Kindergartner -5th grade (5-10-year-olds)
6th -8th grade Middle School or Jr. High School
9th-12th Highschool (13-14 yearolds till 17-18)
Anything after 12th costs money to attend: community colleges if you are poor or are pursuing a short career. University is for medium to serious careers 4-5 years long. (6-7 for Doctors Law and others)
In the United States, the states hold the governing power for education (rather than the federal government), and within those states, school districts are in control of their specific region (city, county, etc.). We have preschool that is federally mandated though for children who are identified as having a disability. It is still the parent's choice to have their child participate in that preschool or not. A lot of parents will still choose to have their child participate in a private preschool. Preschool is generally for children ages 2-5.
At age 5, most children will begin Kindergarten (which is still not a legal requirement, but almost every child will participate). After Kindergarten, the child will continue on to 1st, then 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th grades. These years (K-5th grade) are generally known as the Primary School Years or Elementary School Years. Some Elementary Schools include 6th grade as well (depends on the district).
6th, 7th, and 8th grade are usually within one school referred to as "Middle School" or "Junior High".
Then 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades are known as "High School". In the US, education is required until your 18th birthday or graduation from a high school curriculum.
Beyond high school, college is not required, but encouraged. K-12th grade education is free unless parents opt for a private school (tuition based) education.
In Romania we start from 6 years old. The kids go for 1 year of what here would be reception.
The you have from first grade to 8 grade that would be primary and secondary that you do in the same school.
From 9 th grade until 12 th grade you go to high school. After that university.