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This was actually quite interesting, I never really understood how the British school system works.. until now of course.

In America we have Pre-school which is optional for 3 year old and 4 year old children. Then we have Elementary School. You have to be 5 years old to go to Elementary School. You start in Kindergarten. Once you pass Kindergarten you go to 1st grade. Elementary school is Kindergarten through 5th grade. Then you go to Middle School which is 6th-8th grades. After that is High School which is 9th-12th. Most children graduate High School at 18 years old. We are required to attend school 180 days per year or our parents can go to jail. Once we graduate from High School we have many choices. We can enter the work force and take a low paying entry level job or attend college (2 year associates degree) or University (4 year bachelor's degree) or a trade school. Trade schools are where you can become hair stylists, electrician, plumber, etc. If you choose University and graduate you can opt to go on to get your masters degree (2 more years). The highest level would be after your masters to get your doctorate. Elementary, Middle and High School is free and provided by our government. College, University and trade schools are paid for by you. A person can walk away owing well over a hundred or two thousand dollars for their post high school education. If we meet certain income requirements we can get a $4000 grant from the government per year up to 4 years of University. We also have government student loans that are paid back monthly starting 6 months after getting your degree. The payment can be hundreds of dollars a month until it's paid for. I work in the medical field and know some doctors who are much older and still paying their loans. Anything over the amount of grants and loans is your responsibility. With the cost of education in America it is hard for anyone who comes from low income to advance themselves because they do not have the funding to attend post-secondary education. The number of students fighting for private scholarships is unbelievable. Education is a huge topic in America right now. Every person who runs for a government office has promised change but once they get elected they forget about all their promises.

The government has made it a requirement where u can’t leave education now until 18 so u can do college, sixth form or apprentice

Thanks for this video! Super informative. I am planning to study abroad somewhere in the UK (from the US) in a year so this was interesting and helpful for me to hear.

I've been watching your videos last three days and I must say you two are so good at what you do and you are so positive and cute.

Well, you're half right about the US. Some unfocused students take a variety of classes until they decide on a major. But you have to declare a major at most schools by your third year and hopefully before. There ARE liberal arts schools that are more general though and obvi there are vocational schools.

i think another difference between sixth forms and colleges is that a sixth form has pupils ages 16-18 and colleges can vary in ages ! xx

Great explanation. I watch several bloggers from the UK and I’ve always wonders how the education system there works. I hear them talk about GCSE’s and sixth form. Now I understand it. Here in the US we have the option of going to vocational-technical school during junior & senior year (year 11&12 for us) where we can learn trades like computer specialties, nursing, mechanics, cosmetology, etc free of charge.

I never understood UK college until I watched Skins. I actually wish we had the same format in the states. I will say that I'm a big fan of one year grad school over in the UK. If only they would have accepted me :*(

Very interesting topic. As a teacher in Texas, hearing your explanations were quite fascinating. I enjoyed the differences in educational systems in both countries. I must say 9k is rather unheard of in Texas.

Thank you so much fo explaining it in such a simple way. I'm kind of writing a short story right now and I was so confused about how your educational system worked. It is so different from Brazil! Again, thank you so much.

This was really, really, really helpful!!

Thanks you guys, this helped me a lot to prepare for my presentation on the British school system! :)

This video was really interesting! I've always been so curious about British schooling because it's so different in America! My university was $30,000 a year and I went for 3 years. I wish it was only 10k a year!

Thank you for making this video. It really helped me understanding the British education system I currently have to learn about at school. Greetings from Germany :)

Thanks again! This is very helpful. It's a bit complicated isn't it. Educational text and testing was the primary reason I was originally based in London. I have quite the stories regarding that effort. BTW: I am back in LA binge watching old J&L skits with my friends. LMFAO! You guys are brilliant! Love you both! Keep up the great work! Cheers!👍💟😘🇬🇧

Hi, Joel and Lia, I just wanted to say that I love your videos and you guys have been teaching me so much. I'm doing a degree in foreign languages (English and German) and I'm taking a particular interest in the English language and linguistics. Take care and keep up the good work xox 😘

*English school system, I was hoping you'd mention slight differences with Scotland.

Fantastic video!! 👏👏🤩

I finally understand this system! Thank you so much! Your videos are so helpful!

I loved it! Thank you guys!!!!

Very informative. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for this! I'm an American ex-pat in the UK for 7 years and I have never been able to figure out the Educational System in the UK. Your video spells it out very clearly but I will still need to watch it a few times before I understand it. I think the UK system is far more complex.

Thanks. It is actually really useful for international people with children working in the Uk which you forget to mention 😊

Thanks! You guys are the best!

OMG this was so helpful for me as I never really understood how the British school system works and I have a 3 year old who is going to nursery at the moment. Thanks!

Very interesting! I often watch the U.K. Parliament and so now I understand more about why tuition fees for university are such a hotly debated topic. £9000 sounds quite high.

Different in Scotland, primary school p1 to p7 . Then secondary school s1 to s6 . Not familiar with reception and sixth form until this video . And no specialist schools , we have catholic schools. A levels are equivalent to Scottish highers

Awesome video! I have a test in a couple of days and this really helped me out =)

Thank you very much. I doing my speaking language endorsement on everything wrong with the education system and this helped me understand it more and gave me ideas. Thank you

Love your videos! If it helps anyone watching - High school in America is equivalent to Year 10, 11, 12 and 13. However years 12 and 13 in the uk are what we refer to as sixth form or college depending on where you go

Thank you. Very informative.

Thanks for the information it was an eye opener

Thanks so much. I have a presentation about this. I had been so cunfused and dizzy trying to understand the education system in Uk, until I found this video. 😊

Thank you so much for this video! I just started working for an educational british company and was completely lost with the UK system! It's so different from US!

This is a GREAT video! Thanks for doing this one. For decades I've been confused about, and curious about, how the school system works in England (i.e., the structure, the terminology) . (FYI: I'm an American.) Before now, I've only heard little snippets of info being said by some British person or another; and I wasn't sure what they meant when they used expressions like "sixth form" or "A levels". But now, because i watched this video, I think I have a much better picture of what the entire system there is like. I've seen other comments to this video where someone has already explained the school system here in the US; so I won't go into detail about that here. But I did make some of my own comments (elsewhere in this comments section) to amplify the explanation of US college and university studies.

In the uk, compulsory education finishes at 18 and you must be in education until then. GCSE's are the foundation of A Level but is the only qualification everybody has to get.

When I went to school in the 50/60's, it was infant, junior and senior school, I was 4 when I started but cos my aunt was a teacher I could already read quite well by then.

I find it really interesting!!! I just always thought that Brit’s called “University” anything after high school (secondary school). In the U.S., college is a term used for what you go straight into after high school. Although, our “college” sounds like your “university”

Finally got the idea of your school systems. Tnx

This has literally nothing to do.with this video, but you two are both incredibly good looking, funny, and intelligent. I love letting your videos autoplay while I'm at work because your voices soothe me enough to not want to choke people out. ;)

I recently had to explain our entire school system to a Scottish friend when I only meant to tell him an AS grade! Didn't realise that the systems were different in Scotland 😃 x

I always liked learning about education in other countries, so thank you. Maybe you guys can do a video about your uni! :)

I am actually so glad for our easy Czech system, we have one mandatory year of preschool (kindergarten) from 6-15 theres a primary school where are kids sorted based on their location, then they choose their secondary school (which can be anything from a plumbers apprentice school to a strict schools for kids from posh families), and then, for those who can make it, they go to a uni or college and thats it. And all tuition is free of charge, unless you opt for a private school (there aren't many though)

Hello guys, it is wonderful that you break down the school system in the UK. I wanted to add that in the US the word college at times it is referred to as University and at times it means Junior College which is the first two years of University. In a Junior college you get to spend less money on the subjects that must be covered in the first two years of University. It also helps the student to rebuild their scholarly average in order to get into a competitive University. University usually is 4 years the student has the option of deciding a field of study or simply entering Undecided and later on decide which field is best. Although you have a field of studies in order to gain a University degree the student is obliged to study other fields. This is due to the fact that they must walk out with some knowledge in general of every field. Thus the University forces the student to study history, English, Math and so forth. In various level beginners and advanced along the field of study chosen. After the University some students proceed in their educational background and they get into a Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS) program. The MA program usually runs for 2 years while the MS program is for 3 years. These programs are only concentrated in the field of choice. After the student might want to continue their education and get a Doctorate which usually lasts 4 years.

college offers a lot more variety and flexibility, I did college because they didn't offer what I wanted to do at my old school.I did drama and languages. A very informative and fun vid. keep it up!

Love your videos! You both have amazing chemistry! Being from California luckily our school system is easier to grasp XD

I’m binge watching y’all today

I went to a public university (UCLA) and yes, those are "state schools". They're not necessarily free but they are a lot cheaper than private universities, especially if you stay in your home state. I got state and federal grants to cover the cost of my tuition but for me it was cost of living that was the real beast. The price for two years in the dormitories and then rent for several years living in the (rather upscale) neighborhood near the university was what really forced me to borrow tens of thousands in student loans. We also have the option of (non-private) student loans pegged to the amount of income that you earn.

In America you can pick a major before you go to college such as engineering, computer science. History, Music, Biology etc. Some kids aren't sure what they want to major in so they start out taking required classes and then take electives until they figure out what they like.

College and university are used interchangeably in the U.S. high school is from 14-18 and it’s before college/university. Year one of high school and college is freshman, second year of both is sophomore, third year of both is junior, fourth year of both is senior. It’s expected that after 4 years of college you will graduate (finish) with a bachelors degree. You can apply to continue your education by entering a program to earn your masters degree in a specific field like engineering, social work, fine arts, etc. From there you have apply to enter a PhD program and that’s even more work. The people I know with PhDs spent pretty much all of their 20s earning their PhD. Then there are the 2 major “professions,” doctor and lawyer. I don’t know all the details of medical school but it takes a damn long time. Law school is entered after you complete a bachelors degree then you have to take the law school admission test (LSAT) and your grades from college combined with your LSAT score will help you decide which law schools to apply to. Law school is typically 3 years and upon successfully completing it, you have a Juris Doctor (JD). Then you have to study for the bar exam which is administered in every state. If you pass, you are licensed in the state where you say the exam (there are some exceptions to this that are too specific to get into).

In the US, it is similar to the UK we choose a major or a pathway before (or you can go general education/undeclared) and then your classes are based on that. But you can change your major or pathway when you are in school

in the US the way college is more like the first two years they want you to take general education classes like algebra, chemistry, psychology, etc they are required, and then the last two years you take the classes that pertain to your degree. You can go into college here with degree you want, but you still have to take those two years or however long it takes you to meet those requirements. Other people don't really know what they want to do in life so they start college by taking those pre-requisite classes that I mentioned, and then they declare what degree they want to pursue.

As a teacher, loved this video explaining how it works in the UK! Here in Australia (New South Wales), we start in Kindergarten (Year K) at 5yo and then all the way up to Year 6 (Age 12). High school goes from Year 7 to Year 12 (compulsory) at which point you do your HSC. Then you can choose to go onto University or TAFE (vocational studies). Great vid, guys! Thanks :)

The American education system is easier to understand. Basically, it's 1-2 years of kindergarten (optional). Starting at age 6, there's 12 years of education divided into 4 years each of elementary school, middle school and high school which ends with a high school diploma at age 18. Then each person must decide whether to enter the workforce, attend a 2 year trade school (also known as a junior college or community college) or go to university to pursue a bachelor's degree which typically takes 4 years to complete. That's all very simplified, of course. You can enter the workforce and still attend trade school or university on a part-time basis which many people do.

I'm from Italy and the schooling system here is quite different. From the age of 3 you can go to nursery then you start primary school (which we call elementary school) in your six up until 10, so it's 5 yeaes of primary school. After that, we have middle school consisting of three years, then you go to secondary school. There is a wide range of secondary schools you can choose from. There are "licei" which are schools that usually expect you to go to university and "professionali" which complete schools giving you access to the work environment already.

In Brazil there are public schools (free) and private (paid) but depending on the level of knowledge, the quality is completely different. For example.. private secondary and high schools are better in terms of education quality than public ones but the scenery is completely different with the universities... The public universities (free) are much better than the private ones... University of São Paulo is a good example. It is the best university in the entire Latin America... It's a state institution and it is free. Primary School: Age 4 - 9 Secondary School: 10 -14 High School: 15 - 17 (18 in technical schools) In Primary we study: Portuguese and its literatures; Math; History; Science (biology) and Geography. In Secondary: Portuguese; Mathematics; Science (Biology); History; Geography; English; Religions; Arts and Fisical Education High School: Portuguese; Mathematics; Biology; Fisics; Chemistry; Sociology; History; Geography; English; Religions; Arts and Fisical Education These subjects are all required ones (obligated). In Technical High Schools we choose the Area.. like Cience Computer, Administration, etc... And then we have all high schools subjects with technical subjects, that's why it is four years...

When I was in high school, we had to pay class dues in order to graduate.

Thank you so much!! It was very, very helpful!!! xoxo

From six weeks for some nurseries. In England you legally have to start education in school term after you are five but most start in September after you are four. If you are born in April to August you can also request to join school in September after you are five in reception instead of year one but they can refuse. In most school districts in England there is two tier system with primary then secondary. Primary is between the ages of four and eleven and seniors is between eleven and sixteen. Compulsory education is upto 18 but between 16 to 18 you also have the option of an apprenticeship. Also have the legal option in Uk to home educate. The American K is equivalent to our year one. Pre k is like reception.

In NI we go to nursery at 3 and start primary at 4, sometimes 5 depending on when your birthday falls. After 7 years there, you go to high school for 5 years and then you can chose to go into 6 form or move on to tech/collage. Then uni if you want after that.

In American colleges and universities, you first take your general course requirements (math, science, etc.) usually for the first 2 years, and then you must select your major course of study. You take the classes specific to your major course of study for the next 2-3 years until you graduate. I changed my major like 3 times before figuring out what I really wanted to do so I'm glad that was allowed here.

In the US, after High School you can go Community College which is like your Sixth years or you can go straight to a University. You can pick your own classes or if you get into a "program" like engineering or other specialty the classes are programmed for you.

Where I live in the US, we have preschool which is up to 4 then you can go to pre-kindergarten (which is optional) then go to primary school which is kindergarten-2nd grade then on to elementary school which is 3rd-5th grad then middle school is 6th-8th grad and high school is 9th-12th grade

In Dorset there are three-tier schools, First, Middle and Upper schools. First school is Reception to Year 4 (Age 4 to 9). Middle school is year 5 to year 8 (Age 9 to 13) and SATs are done in the middle of this, at the end of year 6. Upper schools are Year 9 to Year 11 (Age 13 to 16) however most upper schools in my area have attached sixth forms so they finish at 18 instead, however you can opt out and go to college or into an apprenticeship, etc..

I never knew that yall’s formal schooling ended at 16. In America we now go to school from 4-17/18. I didn’t go to school until I turned 5. I started in Kindergarten, and then after that first year you go to elementary school until 5th grade (in some places 6th grade is still Elementary). For me 6th-8th grade was what we call Middle School or Junior High. Then 9th-12th grade is High School or Secondary school. Your 12th grade year is your Senior year. After that year you can then decide to either head to a 2 year college or a 4 year university, or even a trade school, or military. Once you graduate at 17 or 18 then you are an adult and it’s time to make some choices. I love seeing how different schools are in different countries. I pay for my college education with Grant money and some loans. $9K a year is really great especially if you live on campus on the dorms on a meal plan. My Freshman year of college when I was 18 was $12k. I lived on campus and was on meal plan.

I was randomly talking to somebody in the UK (they had like a question/answer segment) about schooling, and was told that the price in the UK went up for schooling because of how 'well' it is doing in America, so they thought they'd "take a cue" from the Americans. It made sense to me, especially when people compare the two so much. I am American and only asked because some of my UK friends were telling me it was still free to go to university over there.. and I didn't think it was (I also didn't think it had gone up that much though).

Some “high schools” here in the US (9-12 grade 14-18 yrs old) are having “academies” or specific studies. One school my friend went to has 3 schools in one each one had their own floor and the staff and classes all contained to that floor. One was more general while the other two schools two had specific studies one was of social justice for those who want to go into law, politics and social service and the other one was medicine and science bases for students interested in that career path. The students are combines in sports and other extra curricular activities

I’m from England but this is what American Grades are in British years Reception (KS1) - American Equivilent (???) Primary school (KS2)/ Elementary 1st Grade - Year 2 2nd Grade - Year 3 3rd Grade - Year 4 4th Grade - Year 5 5th Grade - Year 6 Secondary school (KS3)/ Middle school 6th Grade - Year 7 7th Grade - Year 8 8th Grade - Year 9 Secondary School (KS4)/ High School 9th Grade - Year 10 10th Grade - Year 11 Sixth Form (KS5)/ High school 11th Grade - Year 12 12th Grade - Year 13 Further Education College - University

In the Czech Republic we have nursery schools as well but the age span is different. Children go there up until the point when they turn 6. Then we start primary school (age 6 to 15) which has 9 years and it is divided into the first half (first 5 years) and the second half (remaining 4 years). After primary school we go to secondary school and that's the time for us to start thinking about what we would like to do in the future. So according to that we choose our secondary school (there are basically three types) at which we study for 4 years. So we only get one prom (unlike Americans) at the age of 18 or 19 and that's it. Then people may go to University but, as you said, it's not compulsory. As a matter of fact, not even secondary schools are compulsory but most people go because otherwise no one would employ them. University is for free for a certain number of years in which people are expected to graduate. But it happens quite often that people don't manage to pass all their exams in time or they struggle to submit their BA or MBA theses in time and in that case we only get one extra year to catch up. If we don't, then we have to start paying around 1,260 pounds per year. But for us students, who barely manage to balance work, school and private life, it's actually quite a lot. I guess money is the reason, prices and salaries in the Czech Republic are extremely different from the rest of the world, I feel.

It’s different here in Wales. Day nurseries (usually from 0-8yo), but they get picked up/dropped of by the day nursery staff (if needed) once they’ve started school, Day nurseries are only for parents who have work or are in college, You need to pay for your child to go to Day Nursery, some colleges do have a day nursery. Nursery is for (3-4yo), but it’s not mandatory, nurseries can be in a school or just on its own, Reception is for (4-5yo) (EYFP), Year 1 (5-6yo) and Year 2 (6-7yo) are all part of The Foundation Phase. Year 1 and 2 can also be called The Infants or Key Stage 1 (KS1). Year 3 (7-8yo), Year 4 (8-9yo), Year 5 (9-10yo), Year 6 (10-11yo) are all called The Juniors or KS2. Year 7 (11-12yo), Year 8 (12-13yo) and Year 9 (13-14yo) are all called KS3, Year 7 is the first year in Comprehensive/Secondary and Year 9 is when you choose what you want to do for the next 2 years. Year 10 (14-15yo) and Year 11 (15-16yo) are both called KS4 and are the 2 years you do your exams and Year 11 is the last school year forever. Best thing is you have a prom (copied from Americans), but weird schools have it before the exams, good schools have it after. Mine had it before, it’s like we were celebrating the START of the GCSE EXAMS

In the American university system the first two years are spent covering general knowledge subjects. In the last two years, you become more specialized because you pick a major concentration of study. I picked English Literature as my major for the last two years of university. There are several general knowledge required courses that you have to finish in the first two years of American college.

This is my school in the UK which is in south west England. We have primary school which contains Reception to Y6 and in Y6 you have to do SATS and then secondary school which contains Y7 to Y11 and in Y9 you have to do options where you have to do all core subjects like all sciences, maths english, sport, citezenship, ep and options is where you have 4 options subjects. You can do subjects like art, phychology, ict, GCSE ep, GCSE sport and many more. You also have to pick between geography and history or do both. Then in Y11 you do your GCSE which are tests. Next you have to go to sith form or an apprentiship till your 18. And after that you can go to uni.

They’ve changed the system slightly (a lot) some where here down south so we start at nursery like normal then you go up to reception in first school then yr 5 is the first yr of middle school then yr 9 is the first yr of upper school then you go to sixth form, college or university

Thank you. Exactly the info I was needing. I was wondering if anyone could comment on how U.K. students are allocated or assigned to the school they attend & how schools are funded. In the US, if you attend public (free) school (K - 12th grade) you are assigned to a particular “school district” based on the location of your home. This has a lot of practical sense but it also has many flaws - because school funding is not consistent across school districts. School districts in more wealthy areas receive more funding because the residents of the district pay more in taxes - but funding is also tied to district wide performance on standardized tests, and wealthier school districts always have higher exam scores. The wealthier districts have this advantage because of many social-economic factors at play - but overall it is because the schools and staff and students body are much much more stable.

Thanks a lot! You are cool!❤

Generally in the United States there are 3 stages of Public School: Elementary school is Kindergarten to 5th/6th grade, middle school is typically 6th/7th to 8th grade, and high school is 9th to 12th grades. Then after you graduate from High School, you can either go to a Community College or Vocational School to get a 2 year degree and then into the work field OR onto a University, if you choose, to transfer for a 4 year degree. Private Schools are a totally separate thing.

Australia 🇦🇺 is similar. We have kindergarten then onto primary school, reception to year 7 then high school (which is slightly different). We go from year 8 to 12, but I had the option of doing year 12 over 2 years so I ended up going to year 13. And we we do out exams (SACE) in year 11 and 12. We also did practice exams in year 10 (by memory as is was over 20years ago). After school you have to option of going to TAFE (technical and further education) on Uni. I went down the TAFE route and study for a further 2years. I went to a private secondary school (wearing the uniform and all) and it was expensive.

In the US, after high school you can go to community colleges to take your core classes, like math and English. It’s a lot cheaper and it gives you more time to figure out your major. I even got my associates degree, which is a two year degree, in general arts. That means when I start at a university I’ll go in as a junior, or 3rd year. Most programs last 4 years. Most people choose a major of study before starting at a university, but they have the option of switching programs. I’m about to go back to school and it’ll cost me about $5000 a year with books, but the university closer to my home would cost about $23000 a year. It can get pretty crazy and sometimes cost ends up being the deciding factor between schools.

In America, nursery is daycare (1month-3 years old), primary is preK (4yo), elementary is Kindergarten through 5th (5-10yo), junior high or middle school is 6th-8th (11-13yo), high school is 9th-12th (14-17yo) and students are referred to as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. Everything from K-12th grade are compulsory (required) but can be done in public school (state run), charter (partially state funded, but not state run), private (paid for by the students parents), or homeschooling (done by the parents). Private school can be parochial (religious) or secular (non-religious). Public and Private schools can also be standard curriculum or magnet programs. Magnet schools have an emphasis in an area of trade or talent... For instance, there's medicine, arts (music, theatre and/or visual arts), technology, etc. but they still have the standard curriculum that is required for all state schools with additional curriculum in their area of trade or talent. After the K-12 schooling, graduates have many choices. Go to work in a job/career that doesn't require additional study. You can attend a trade-school for specific study in a single trade... cosmetology, HVAC technician, auto mechanic, dental or medical assistant are all examples of trade-school career studies. Community colleges are under-graduate universities, they have Associate degrees or two-year degrees, and most offer trade certificate progams, like a trade school plus the basic college language, history and math requirements. Tuition is $3-9k a year... So many people go to community college and then transfer to a 4-year university in order to make college less expensive. 4-year universities (or just University or College) offer Bachelor and Masters degree programs, some offer Post-graduate study (lawyers and doctors go to these). Tuition at University can be $10k-ridiculous and most people cannot afford it (even with loans and/or scholarships). Speaking of loans, there are government and private student loans for all of the choices I have mentioned (although government loans can't be used for post-graduate education programs). There are also grants that can be used for 2 year, 4 year and post-graduate study in a college but are usually not available for trade-school education programs.

In the US, you can, depending on the college or university, major in General Studies, but typically you pick a major and focus on that, especially in your last two years. I don't personally know anyone who actually has a degree in General Studies. You can begin college as 'undeclared' and pick your major later, but you do have to pick one. I started at a private Liberal Arts college as a Biology/Chemistry double major with a minor in Psychology on a Pre-Med track. And, when I burned out after my first year (surprise!), I switched to Music Education with a minor in Sociology. And when I got bored with that, I switched to Psychology with a minor in Sociology and that's what my degree is in. I was definitely not alone in my difficulty deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up. :) Most Bachelors degrees can be earned in four years. Some take five. If you go year around, you can do it in three. After finishing your core, required subjects (maths, sciences, languages, etc), which, in my experience are usually completed in the first two years, you focus more on the subjects in your Major and Minor.

American public education begins in kindergarten at age 5-6. Elementary encompasses grades 1-5 in some systems or 1-6 (age 6-11/12). Junior high or middle school goes from grades 6-8 or 7-9 again depending on the system where high school is either grade 9-12 or 10-12. Miami, FL (Dade County Public Schools) used 1-6, 7-9, 10-12 respectively.

Great explanation of your system. I sense your frustration about making you choose a definitive direction for your University studies. Education should be free and really is through the IOT. Times are changing keep the faith or could I say "Stiff upper lip" would that be the same as keeping the faith. In Texas when things aren't right and we need action we say Cowboy up or Cowgirl up. Thanks for update.

Sixth forms sounds very similar to community colleges here in the US.....

I go to an academy school (which is free to get in but the teachers look at your reports and behaviour to decide whether you get in) you go there until you are 16 and when you do your GCSEs (I don’t think they do sixth form) and then you have to do 2 years at college

I'm from the US. Here you start preschool around age 3 or 4 I think. It largly depends on how mature you are for your age. If you can follow directions you might start earlier. Perschool isn't required but is highly recommended. You start elementary school with kindergarten around age 5 and this is required. Then you start first grade at around age 6 and go until grades five or six depending on what your local school system has decided for the cut off point. In fifth grade you are around age 10 or 11 in sixth grade you are 11 or 12. That's when you start middle school or Jr high and that usually goes until eighth (8th) grade when you are about 14. Then you move on to high school which is grades 9-12. You graduate at around 18 unless you get held back or What have you. You can then choose to 1: do nothing and try to find a job 2: go to votech or a trade school where you can be like a plumber or a mechanic or 3: you can go to college. No college is really paid for in the US by the government. I hesitate to say that though because most people do go to college with help in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans some of which are provided by the government but can also come from private sources such as your parents workplace. The rest is covered by you out if pocket (,with your own money). There are various kinds of colleges as well. There are 2-year colleges if you want as cheap as possible and many of these offer both votech (trade school) and libral arts like English math or history. You either earn a certificate of some sort or your associates degree here. Then there are 4-year colleges and universities. Here you usually earn a bachelor's degree and they cost more than 2-year colleges. There are public or state funded universities and private colleges too (both are four or more years). The state colleges and universities (University of Minnesota or Wisconsin state for example) are usually cheaper than your private schools. Private schools are also a lot of times harder to get into (you have to apply and hope to get accepted into schools after 12th grade) but are seen as more prestigious or elite even though some state schools might be equally great. You can then go on to graduate school and earn your master's, Ph. D, or Doctorate and each of these usually adds another two years to your schooling. you have to get your bachelor's before your master's, your master's before your Ph. D (I think) etc. So if you want a higher degree your going to be in school for a long time. Also those scholarships, grants, and most loans will not help you pay for anything above a bachelor's degree and graduate school as it's called usually costs more than normal college no matter what school you choose. A lot of people can also choose to live on campus for an added cost and many places require you to do so for the first year. To get into any college in the first place however, you have to take standard tests including the ACT or SAT depending on which your college requires. If you choose to go to a 2-year college then you have to take a similar test called the accuplacer. You then apply to the schools of your choice (most people apply to more than one) and as many scholarships as you possibly can as well as the FAFSA which is the application for a the grants and loans from the government. All colleges will require you to fill out (apply for) and provide you FAFSA information. Basically I recommend starting your college career, if you choose to go, in 11th grade, or the year before you graduate high school cuz it's a really lengthy process. Also you are not required to go to college for a certain number of years. For example, you can go to a two year school for one or three years and a four year school for five depending on how many credits you take each semester (half school year). You basically go until you get your degree or drop out. Some four year school may get mad at you if you go more than five years though. Phew lengthy comment and yea school is confusing here.

Thank you!

We have to take basics in college like math, language arts/english, science and history. Our second year of college/university we have to pick a major to stick with like psychology to possibly be a psychologist or choose to go into child learning and development to become an elementary school teacher.

In the U.S. after high school you can also choice to join the military. Or a lot of people choose to take a gap year to travel or volunteer before college, University. What kind of options do you have to volunteer, travel, or serve?

American school explained: When you are 5-11 you are in elementary school, then when you are 11-14 you go to middle school, then when you are 14-18 you go to high school, lastly you can choose to go to college but you don’t have to. You can also go for 1 to sometimes even 10 years

Hello Joel and Lia, I feel I've learned something, thank you. Oh, the bell has rung, class is dismissed.

You can choose your subject or "major" before you go to university in the US, but a lot of people change their major partway through their schooling.

Also I haven't seen this mentioned in the comments you can go to college for free untill the age of 24 if you only have a level 2 qualification if you have a level 3 you have to pay but is like couple hundred £. A levels are classed as level 3 but a lot of NVQs are level 1,2,3 and it takes a year to complete each level.

It’s the same in Bahrain’s private schools we go on the UK’s education system

At my old school there was about 30 in each class and 5 classes and now in “big school “ there’s 30 in each but 8 classes

In Czech republic the education system is completely different. At the age of 2-4 you go to the nursery (unlike in the UK you have to attend the nursery). At the age of 6-7 you go to the ''basic school'' which is like elementary school in the US and that's where it gets really different. The basic school has 9 grades which are sepparated in 2 degrees (the 1st degree are years 1-5 and the 2nd degree are years 6-9). The 1st degree is just about the basics and when you go to the 2nd degree you just go deeper in what you've learnt so far and you add new things ofc. At the end of year 9 you have to do the entrance exams for ''middle school'' which is like high school in the US. You go there at the age of 15-16. Everyone has to attend the middle school but you can go either to what we call it ''gymnázium'' (the hardest option) which is for 4 years or the ussual middle school which is focused on some topic like electricity, programming, healthcare etc. and that is also for 4 years. For the bad graders (usually) there are the training institutions where you can learn to cook, repair things, build houses and things like these. You don't have to do the entrance exams for the training institution but you cannot graduate from these. There are even more kinds of middle schools, but these are the most common ones. When you graduate from the middle school you can go to the high school which is like college in the US. You don't have to attend high school, but employers like to see these in biographies. Nursery 2-4 - 5 y.o. Basic school 6-7 - 15-16 y.o. Middle school 16-17 - 20-21 y.o. High school 20-21 - 24-25 and older

in the US you chose one thing like in the UK, however in the first two years of college you have to take core classes like math and science and stuff but you do have to pick a degree, some people know what they want going in like me and some people have no idea

In the USA, formal education starts at "kindergarten" and then we have 12 years of school (grades 1-12). Once done, you can go to work; get vocational training for a certificate (6 months to a year); go to junior/community colleges for two years and get an associate's degree; or go to a four-year college or university and get a Bachelor's degree. After that, should you choose, you can go to graduate school and get a Master's degree. if you want, you can get further educated and get a Ph.D., Ed.D, MD, or a law degree.Those programs are another 2-8 years. So, by ages (if you do it all consecutively), goes like this: K (5 years old, or turning 6 if your birthday is after September -- I'll use the latter from here) 1-5 (Elementary/Primary school, age 7-11) 6-8 (Middle/Junior High School, still Primary, age 12-14) 9-12 (High/Secondary School, age 15-18) One is required by many states to be in school until age 18, some states are more lax on that law, so you see a high dropout rate pre-high school completion. You can get an Associate's Degree by 20, a Bachelor's degree by 22 years of age, Master's at 24, and the others by 30 years of age. And you can go $20k - millions in debt depending on how far you take your education.

Brilliantly explained. I live in the United States so I find the system here totally understandable. One subject in University sounds harsh. I like to study loads of things. I dreamed of going to Oxford for a PhD but now I am too old to do that.