Schooling is compulsory for all children in the United States, but the
age range for which school attendance is required varies from state to
state. Some states allow students to leave school between 14-17 with
parental permission, before finishing high school; other states require
students to stay in school until age 18. Public (free) education is
typically from kindergarten to grade 12 and is thus referred to as K-12
(short for K through twelve).
Most parents send their children to either a public or private
institution. According to government data, one-tenth of students are
enrolled in private schools. Approximately 85% of students enter the
public schools, largely because they are tax-subsidized (tax burdens by
school districts vary from area to area). School districts are usually
separate from other local jurisdictions, with independent officials and
budgets.
There are more than 14,000 school districts in the country, and more
than $500 billion is spent each year on public primary and secondary
education. Most states require that their school districts within the
state teach for 180 days a year. In 2010, there were 3,823,142 teachers
in public, charter, private, and Catholic elementary and secondary
schools. They taught a total of 55,203,000 students, who attended one of
132,656 schools.Education Futures - Karlton Roberts
Funding for college
At the college and university level student loan funding is split in
half; half is managed by the Department of Education directly, called
the Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDSLP). The other half is
managed by commercial entities such as banks, credit unions, and
financial services firms such as Sallie Mae, under the Federal Family
Education Loan Program (FFELP). Some schools accept only FFELP loans;
others accept only FDSLP. Still others accept both, and a few schools
will not accept either, in which case students must seek out private
alternatives for student loans.
Grant funding is provided by the federal Pell Grant program.
Karlton Roberts - Education Futures
Middle-tier of American schools
Aside from these aforementioned schools, academic reputations vary
widely among the 'middle-tier' of American schools, (and even among
academic departments within each of these schools.) Most public and
private institutions fall into this 'middle' range. Some institutions
feature honors colleges or other rigorous programs that challenge
academically exceptional students, who might otherwise attend a
'top-tier' college. Aware of the status attached to the perception of
the college that they attend, students often apply to a range of
schools. Some apply to a relatively prestigious school with a low
acceptance rate, gambling on the chance of acceptance but, as a backup,
also apply to a safety school.
Lower status institutions include community colleges. These are
primarily two-year public institutions, which individual states usually
require to accept all local residents who seek admission, and offer
associate's degrees or vocational certificate programs. Many community
colleges have relationships with four-year state universities and
colleges or even private universities that enable their students to
transfer to these universities for a four-year degree after completing a
two-year program at the community college.
Regardless of perceived prestige, many institutions feature at least one
distinguished academic department, and most post-secondary American
students attend one of the 2,400 four-year colleges and universities or
1,700 two-year colleges not included among the twenty-five or so
'top-tier' institutions.
