B

Almost all 50 states have laws that require 12 years of compulsory school attendance for children.The 12 years are usually divided into two stages：elementary education and secondary education.Children start elementary education at the age of 6 and finish secondary education around the age of 18.Classes of students are divided into 12 academic levels called grades.Generally speaking，one academic year is required to complete each grade.The 12 grades are divided into three stages.Generally，elementary school is from the kindergarten to the 5th grades，middle school is from the 6th to the 8th grades and high school is from the 9th to the 12th grades.

The length of a school year and school day vary from school district to school district.The school year typically lasts around 170 to 180 days，starting in late August or early September and ending in early June.Children go to school five days a week.The school day is generally about six to seven hours long，with class starting at around 8 o’clock in the morning and ending around 3 o’clock in the afternoon.Students typically take one hour for lunch at noon and one or two shorter recess breaks during the morning and/or afternoon.

Although the federal government has no national curriculum for education，certain subjects are taught in virtually all elementary and secondary schools throughout the country.Mathematics，English（including reading，writing，grammar and literature），science，social studies（including history，geography，civics and physical education）are taught in almost every elementary school.Many schools also teach children how to use computers.Most elementary schools and secondary schools are public.Today，public schools educate about 88％ of all American children.

After finishing elementary education，a student child in the public school system enters high school without needing to take any entrance examination.Most American high schools are comprehensive schools providing both academic and vocational education.High schools typically require students to take certain classes，known as core subjects.High schools also offer a variety of elective courses which often differ greatly from district to district.Electives may include courses in areas such as business，industrial trades，performing and fine arts，higher level academics，and foreign languages like Spanish，French or German.Spanish is the most popular foreign language for Americans due to the fact that the United States’southern neighbors are Spanish speaking countries，as well as the growing presence of Hispanics in the country.Many high schools also have honors program for students who seek an advanced level of academic studies across their curriculum.Students who participate in honors programs usually go on to colleges or universities for higher education.

Besides comprehensive high schools，students in some districts can also attend vocational and technical high schools.These schools aim to train skilled workers for jobs in various industries such as information technology，accounting and finance，healthcare and automotive service.

Class atmosphere is usually relaxed in American schools compared to many other countries.Most American educators believe that children learn better when they are happy and interested，so efforts are made to accommodate varied personalities and learning styles among students.Nevertheless，some critics think that schools have gone too far in the direction of trying to make children happy and thus neglected some of the training necessary to prepare them for future studies and jobs.

Private schools generally do not receive public funds，so they charge tuition fees.Private schools may be either religious or secular，but four⁃fifths of them are related to religious groups.In these schools，religious instruction is part of the curriculum besides such traditional courses like reading，writing，mathematics，history，geography and science.Today，about 12％ of all American children attend private schools for their elementary and secondary education.

In the last year of high school，students who want to go to college generally must take one or more standardized tests.The most widely⁃taken tests are the SAT，which is administered by the Educational Testing Service（ETS），and the ACT，administered by ACT，Inc.Most U.S.colleges require applicants to take either the SAT or ACT in order to apply for admission to undergraduate degree programs.Besides standardized test scores，college admissions officers also look at students’academic performance in high school，letters of recommendation from their teachers，and one or more written essays that students are typically required to write as part of their applications.Students’participation in extracurricular pursuits such as community volunteering，sports，student government or other school⁃sponsored activities，and personal qualities such as leadership ability can also play an important part in admission decisions.