Back to school~!

According US education system, new semester begins in fall. After long summer break, students are ready to go back to school.
Let see the unite states’ education structure. 

The ages for compulsory education vary by state, beginning at age five to eight and ending at the ages of fourteen to eighteen.  In most public and private schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, middle school (sometimes called junior high school), and high school (sometimes referred to as secondary education). In almost all schools at these levels, children are divided by age groups into grades, ranging from preschool and kindergarten (followed by first grade) for the youngest children in elementary school, up to twelfth grade, which is the final year of high school. Most children begin elementary education with kindergarten (usually 5 to 6 years old) and finish secondary education with twelfth grade (usually 18 years old).

The 12 years following the kindergarten year are usually organized under what is known as the ‘6-3-3 plan’ where grades 1 to 6 are in elementary (primary) school, grades 7 to 9 in junior high or middle school and grades 10 to 12 in a (senior) high school.

The school year usually runs from early September until May or June (nine months) and is divided into ‘quarters’ or terms (semesters). Some schools use the quarter system, which comprises three sessions: fall (September to December), winter (January to March) and spring (March to May or June). Others use a semester system made up of two sessions: fall (September to December) and spring (January to May).

The school day in elementary schools is usually from 8.30am to 3pm or 3.30pm, with an hour for lunch. In high schools, hours are usually from 7.30am to 2pm or 2.30pm. This is divided into six one-hour classes or four 90-minute classes (with a five-minute break between classes) and a 30-minute lunch break. Extra-curricular activities and sports are scheduled after school hours. Lessons in public schools are held from Monday to Friday and there are no lessons on Saturdays or Sundays.

Basic curricular structure

Generally, at the high school level, students take a broad variety of classes without special emphasis in any particular subject. Curricula vary widely in quality and rigidity; for example, some states consider 65 (on a 100-point scale) to be a passing grade, while others consider it to be as low as 60 or as high as 75.

The following subjects are fairly universally required in the United States:

• Science (usually two years minimum, normally biology, chemistry and physics)
• Mathematics (usually two years minimum, normally including algebra, geometry, algebra II, and/or precalculus/trigonometry)
• English (usually four years minimum, including literature, humanities, etc)
• Social Science (usually three years minimum, including various history, government/economics courses)
• Physical education (at least one year)