The US education system is one of the best in the world, designed to bring out the best in students. Over the years the results and stats of the US education have spoken for themselves; attracting millions of international students around the world, and producing top-notch graduates who have impacted society positively in this 21st century.
The US has some of the best academic institutions in the world and has over the years occupied the top list of best schools in the world at all levels. The US Educational system has been outstanding and offers students flexibility and diversity in the number of institutions it provides.
Students can take to any discipline of their chosen and excel efficiently. There are thousands of accredited schools and learning institutes that make up the educational system and all having an almost equal standard.
Levels Of Education In The US
Like Canada’s Educational system, the US educational or school system is comprised of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. The primary often referred to as Elementary School, Secondary school referred to as high school, and the Tertiary refers to the colleges and universities.
The US Education System uses the grading system, children between the ages of 6 to 11 are enrolled in the elementary school of grades 1 to 5 which is most certainly compulsory for every child in the US.
Although a child below the Elementary level age could begin with kindergarten which is usually optional it’s helpful especially for working parents with very young kids.
Education in the United States is compulsory from Elementary level to the high school level, so every child from 5 to 16 or 18 years in some state must attend school.
The primary or elementary school usually takes about 5 years and by your 12th year you should be in middle school which is usually referred to as Junior High school and it takes about 3 years to complete.
Then we have the Senior High school which is the final phase before college and usually takes about 3 years too. This completes the 5-3-4 plan from elementary to high school excluding Kindergarten and college.
Usually, a student has one teacher for all major subjects during elementary school and a different teacher for each subject during secondary school.
The importance of students completing at least a high school education cannot be overemphasized. Although some children still drop out due to one reason or another then the prospect of getting a good job in the US without a high school diploma is very tin.
At the High school level, especially the Senior High School in the US, students offer a lot of mandatory subjects and are also given the freedom to select other electives to complete their hours of learning. The grades from high school will be used or asked for during the college admission process.
After you complete your high school education it is assumed or expected that you apply for college or a University in the US, in other to obtain a degree.
Most students choose this path others may decide not to continue or even pursue other opportunities not involving the school. E.g., some talented kids who break out to fame from an early age or those who have the passion may choose a different career path like sports, music, etc.
Those who chose the education path and end up in a college will spend between 3 to 4 years to obtain a degree.
Furthermore, you may also wish to study extra to obtain your masters and in the long run, your doctoral which combinedly should take about 4 years, that 1 year for the masters and 3 years for the doctoral degree.
Educational Level In the US School System
| Education | Levels | Grades | Age | Expected No. of Years |
| Primary | Elementary School | 1 to 6 | 6 to 12 | 6 |
| Middle | Junior High School/Middle School | 7 to 9 | 12 to 15 | 3 |
| Secondary | Senior High School | 10 to 12 | 15 to 18 | 3 |
| Vocational | Vocational Technical Programs | |||
| Tertiary | 2 Year Pre-University Program/
Three Year Professional Program/ Undergraduate |
2 | ||
| Tertiary | Bachelor’s Degree | 13 to 16 | 3 to 4 | |
| Tertiary | Master’s Degree | 16 to 18 | 1 | |
| Tertiary | Doctorate | 3 |
Grading System In Canada
The grading system in Canada is similar to the one in the United State of America. Although not all the states in the US use the same grading format.
Grading system US standard
| Grade | Scale | US Grade |
| A+ | 90.00 – 100.00 | A+ |
| A | 85.00 – 89.99 | A |
| A- | 80.00 – 84.99 | A- |
| B+ | 77.00 – 79.99 | B+ |
| B | 73.00 – 76.99 | B |
| B- | 70.00 – 72.99 | B- |
| C+ | 67.00 – 69.99 | C+ |
| C | 63.00 – 66.99 | C |
| C- | 60.00 – 62.99 | C- |
| D+ | 55.00 – 59.99 | D+ |
| D | 50.00 – 54.99 | D |
| F | 0.00 – 49.99 | F |
