A Guide to US School Years and US Education System
If you’re trying to understand the US school year system, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll walk through the basics and answer a few common questions, including:
- How do the US school years work?
- What are US school yearbooks?
- How does the US education ranking compare globally?
As you will see, the US education system follows a relatively straightforward path; although details can vary by state, the overall structure remains essentially the same.
🙋 You may be interested in our other calculators, such as our test grade calculator and final grade calculator.
Formal education in the United States is divided into several distinct stages. Most children enter the public US education system at around the age of five or six and are divided into age groups called “grades”.
The US school year typically begins in late August or early September, following the traditional summer vacation. Children normally advance from one grade to the next as a single class at the end of each school year, usually in late May or early June.
Depending on their situation, children may start school in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, or first grade. Students typically complete 12 years of schooling, spanning the 12 calendar years of primary and secondary education, before graduating and advancing to higher education. Education is compulsory until the age of 16 to 18, depending on the state.
In the United States, ordinal numbers (e.g., first grade) are used to identify school levels. In general, there are three levels: elementary school (grades K/1-2/3/4/5/6), middle school (grades 5/6/7-8/9), and high school (grades 9/10-12). The exact distribution of levels of the US school system varies from state to state.
As we’ve seen above, the grades of schools in the US are usually grouped into three main stages:
- Elementary school;
- Middle school; and
- High school.
Before these stages, many children also attend early childhood education. Let’s look at each stage in more detail, starting from the earliest years.
Early childhood education
Early childhood education takes place before kindergarten. It includes daycare and preschool, and it’s optional. Ages can vary based on the place you choose to take your child. Daycare can start a few months after a child is born. Preschool can start as early as age 2.
In the United States, preschool education encompasses both formal and informal learning opportunities for children. These services are provided through daycare centers, nursery schools, and kindergartens.
US elementary school years
Children begin elementary school with kindergarten (grade K) around age 5. The following year is grade 1, and it increases each year until grade 5. They finish elementary school around age 10.
Children in elementary school usually learn different subjects from one teacher in a single classroom. They learn to develop writing, math, reading, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
💡 Free public education is generally provided from kindergarten (ages 5 and 6) through 12th grade (ages 17 and 18). Approximately 85% of students attend public school, while the rest are homeschooled or attend private schools.
US middle school years
Students attending middle school are typically around the ages of 11 to 13 years old. It starts with grade 6 and ends with grade 8. Middle school students usually switch from one classroom to another. They may have different teachers on one school day.
US high school years
The US high school years cover grades nine through twelve, with students typically between 14 and 18 years old. Classes are organized by subject, and students earn credits toward graduation.
Grades are commonly named as follows:
- 9th grade: Freshman;
- 10th grade: Sophomore;
- 11th grade: Junior; and
- 12th grade: Senior.
If you’re wondering when graduation happens, our graduation year calculator can estimate the graduation year based on standard US high school years.
The US education grading system typically uses letter grades from A to F. The letter grades generally assigned for course participation are (from highest to lowest) A, B, C, D, and F. Variations on the traditional five-grade system allow for the assignment of grades such as A+, A, A−, B+, B, B−, C+, C, C−, D+, D, D−, and F.
In elementary and secondary schools, a D is generally the minimum grade required to pass. However, some schools consider a C to be the minimum passing grade, so the general standard is that any grade below 60% or 70% is considered a failing grade, depending on the grading scale.
In higher education institutions, such as colleges and universities, a D is considered a minimum unsatisfactory grade. Students typically still earn credit for the course if they receive a D. However, a grade of C or higher may be required for specific important courses to count toward a degree or to fulfill a prerequisite for another course.
In order to evaluate students' individual grades across multiple courses, letter grades are typically associated with a numerical ranking from which a grade point average GPA is calculated.
As we’ve seen, the US expected years of schooling refer to the full K-12 path, that is, kindergarten through 12th grade, followed by graduation with a high school diploma.
If you are still looking for more info about the US education grading system or US school rankings, check out our article “UK to US School Years: School System Equivalences” or our FAQs just below.
The US school rankings typically take into account test scores, graduation rates, and college readiness. Globally, US education rankings compare American students to those in other countries. These rankings can be useful, but they don’t tell the whole story. School culture, student support, and real classroom experiences are just as important as the numbers.
Yearbooks compile photos, events, clubs, and memories from the school year. Students often sign their classmates' yearbooks at the end of the year, making them precious keepsakes long after graduation.
The latest PISA 2022 cycle revealed that US students ranked 13th in reading, 18th in science, and 28th in mathematics among more than 80 participating countries. PISA stands for Programme for International Student Assessment and is administered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); it assesses the reading, mathematics, and science skills of 15-year-old students around the world every three years.
In 2025, the United States had 26,727 high schools, including both public and private schools. The country has 64,311 elementary schools, 2,672 specialized schools, and 410 adult education schools. In 2022, California had the largest number of public elementary and secondary schools, with 10,325 institutions.
This article was written by Claudia Herambourg and reviewed by Steven Wooding.