Learn how the US Educational System works

Despite recent debates about declining quality, the US education system still remains among the best in the world and there are already ongoing initiatives in place to make it more competitive again. Adult and child education is one of the most important aspects to consider when buying property and / or making plans to emigrate. So, we’ve included this information so that you have a basic understanding of the American education system.

The public education system is administered at the local, state, and federal levels. Because the largest share of school funding comes from locally assessed (school district) property taxes (“IPTU”), resources available per student vary tremendously from one school to another. Class size also tends to vary from district to district. Curricular decisions in public schools are made largely at the local and state level, with the federal government having limited influence.

Admission to public schools is usually decided based on residence. To compensate for differences in the quality of schools based on geographic location, in many large cities there are magnet schools that accept non-resident students. The largest public education system in the US is in New York, where more than one million students attend 1,200 public schools. Because of its large coverage area, the public education network in New York City has a decisive influence on which materials and textbooks are adopted throughout the country.

Private schools in the United States include parish schools (affiliated with religious establisments), independent non-profit schools, and for-profit schools. Private schools charge tuition fees that vary depending on geographic location, operating expenses, and other sources of funding. Private schools have varied assignments: some serve students with the intention of competing in the admission process in certain prestigious universities, others serve gifted students, others serve students with learning difficulties or other special needs, etc.

Some are aimed at serving families who prefer more “family” style environment with fewer students. Unlike public school systems, private schools are not required to accept all interested students. Admission to some private schools is often extremely competitive. Private schools offer smaller classes, a better teacher-student relationship, greater individualized attention, and in more competitive schools, it is common to have a specialized service (kind of “pre-college” courses in Brazil) to help students achieve placement in competitive universities.

Teaching series: Most children enter the public education system in the age group between 5 and 6 years of age. The American school year begins in late August or the day after Labor Day in September after the summer break. The American educational system is made up of 12 years of primary and secondary education before college.

Higher Education: In the US, there are many options for all financial brackets and areas of interest. There are state universities that charge lower monthly fees for residents in the state. There are colleges / universities in the community that are even more affordable in terms of cost and admission. There are also private colleges that function like those in Brazil. There are universities that are purely online as well. And finally, there are elite, non-profit private universities funded by generous donations from prominent alumni.

The 8 most traditional elite colleges are called Ivy League schools (Harvard, Princeton, Pennsylvania, Columbia, Yale, Cornell, Dartmoth, Brown). Many of the country’s leaders have attended these universities and other well known universities (MIT, Stanford etc), they are also known for having the most expensive tuition fees. They always appear among the 10 best in the world in any ranking that evaluates the quality of higher education worldwide.