AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM: AN OVERVIEW
General Information
The American education system is unlike that in many other countries. Though the U.S.
Federal government contributes almost 10% to the national education budget, education is
primarily the responsibility of state and local government.
For example, in Minnesota, almost 80 percent of public education funds come from state
sources. About 17 percent comes from local sources, while less than 5 percent comes from
the Federal government.
Every State has its own department of education and laws regulating finance, the hiring of
school personnel, student attendance, and curriculum.
States also determine the number of years of compulsory education: in most states,
education is compulsory from five or six to sixteen; but in some states teens have to stay on
in school until age 18.
So, every state has great control over what is taught in its schools and over the requirements
that a student must meet, and it is also responsible for the funding of schooling.
In most States, the public education system is further divided into local school districts,
which are managed by a school board, representing the local community. School districts
can be small, covering just a small town or rural county, or enormous, covering a whole large
city; according to their local policy, they are responsible for coordinating education policies,
planning for changing educational needs in the community, and often even establishing
programs and curricula. They will also delegate a varying amount of freedom or
independence to each individual school within their sector (with some exceptions, such as
general rules concerning health and safety).
Public schools have also relied heavily on local property taxes to meet the vast majority of
school expenses. American schools have thus tended to reflect the educational values and
financial capabilities of the communities in which they are located.
Therefore, there is huge variation among schools regarding courses, subjects, and other
activities – it always depends on where the school is located. Still, there are some common
points, as e.g. the division of the education system into three levels: elementary/primary
education, secondary education, and postsecondary/higher education (college or university).
Formal schooling lasts 12 years, until around age 18. Compulsory schooling, though, ends by
age 16 in most states; the remaining states require students to attend school until they are
17 or 18. All children in the United States have access to free public schools. Private schools
(religious and non-sectarian) are available, but students must pay tuition to attend them.