Most Americans really believe in public education. They want their children to go to schools that are free and are open to all. They want their children to make friends with everyone – children of all races, from all kinds of families, with different talents and different interests. There is no great difference between city, suburban, and country schools in the United States. Public schools teach the same subjects in the same grades across the land. Most school buildings look the same and have the same types of rooms inside. Here is always a gym, a large room for basketball and other sports. There is a lunchroom, a school library and an auditorium, a very large room where all the students and teachers can meet. Most schools also have rooms for the school band to practice in. They have rooms for students to type and use computers. There are usually rooms for students to work with paint, wood, metal and other materials. These are all part of most American public schools, no matter where they are. Public schools in the U.S. are paid for by money from everyone. Public schools do not teach religion. At public schools students wear what they want. They often dress in bright colours and tennis shoes. They sometimes invent new and interesting fashions. In the United States students take many tests each year. If students pass these tests, they go on to the next grade where the work is harder. Most American schools give the following marks: A – 91-100 percent, B – 81-90 percent, C – 80 percent, D – 65-70 percent, E – 50-64 percent, F – below 50 percent. In high school it is possible to take some classes without marks. Then the student gets a “P” for “pass” and “F” for “fail”. Students get report cards four times a year. One copy is sent to the parents and the school keeps a copy. Seventy-one percent of American students graduate from high school. Some students don’t want to continue their education. When they leave school they will look for a job. 40 percent of high school students go on to college. Only about 17 percent of American children are sent to private schools. Private doesn’t mean better. But it does mean expensive. Parents who send their children to private schools must pay to do so. Most private schools accept only children who are already doing well in school and are able to work quietly. Some take only boys or girls. Classes are often less crowded than classes in public schools. This gives children a chance to learn more of what their teachers are trying to teach them. Children at many private schools wear special school uniforms, all exactly the same. Some parents choose private religious schools for their children. These schools each belong to a church. They give lessons about that religion. They give lessons in all the usual school subjects as well.
