What are the U.S. education levels?
美国的教育如何分类？
In the United States, public school usually starts between age 4 and 6 and continues until around age 17 to 18. You can also send your children to pre-school at an earlier age. Learn about the different U.S. education levels, class placement, and grade level placement for students new to the USA.
在美国，公立学校通常从 4 到 6 岁开始，一直持续到 17 到 18 岁左右。您也可以让您的孩子在更早的年龄上学前班。了解新来美国的学生的不同美国教育水平、班级安排和年级安排。
In the United States, the law requires all children to go to school. Elementary, middle, and high school are all free if your child attends public school. The ages of the students for each grade can vary from state to state.
在美国，法律要求所有孩子都必须上学。如果您的孩子上公立学校，小学、初中和高中都是免费的。每个年级的学生年龄因州而异。
The U.S. education levels
In the USA, there are 12 grade levels after the first year of kindergarten. The four levels of education are:
Early childhood education
Early childhood education can mean different things. It refers to learning that happens before kindergarten. It is not required by law.
Early childhood education includes daycare and preschool. 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.
幼儿教育包括日托和学前班。年龄可能因您选择带孩子去的地方而异。日托可以在孩子出生后几个月开始。学前班最早可以从 2 岁开始。
You usually have to pay for daycare and preschool. There are free preschool options for low-income families through the Head Start program.
您通常需要支付日托和学前班的费用。通过启蒙计划，低收入家庭可以免费选择学前班。
Children in preschool learn how to be with other kids and get ready for kindergarten.
学龄前儿童学习如何与其他孩子相处并为上幼儿园做好准备。
Elementary school
Children begin elementary school with kindergarten (grade K) around age 5. The next year is grade 1 and it goes up each year to grade 5. They finish elementary school around age 10.
孩子们在 5 岁左右从幼儿园（K 级）开始上小学。第二年是 1 年级，然后每年上升到 5 年级。他们在 10 岁左右完成小学学业。
Children in elementary school usually learn different subjects from one teacher in a single classroom. They learn to develop writing and math skills, reading, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
小学的孩子们通常在一个教室里从一位老师那里学习不同的科目。他们学习发展写作和数学技能、阅读、批判性思维和解决问题的能力。
Middle school (also called junior high school)
Students attending middle school are around age 11 to 13. It starts with grade 6 and ends with grade 8. Middle school students usually switch from classroom to classroom. They may have different teachers in one school day.
上中学的学生年龄在 11 到 13 岁左右。从 6 年级开始到 8 年级结束。中学生通常从一个班级转到另一个班级。他们在一个上学日可能有不同的老师。
In middle school, students learn:
- English (grammar, spelling, reading comprehension, and sentence structure)
- Mathematics (fractions, decimals, percents, solving equations)
- Sciences (earth science, basic biology, basic chemistry concepts)
- Social studies (civics, government, and basic economics)
- 英语（语法、拼写、阅读理解和句子结构）
- 数学（分数、小数、百分比、解方程）
- 科学（地球科学、基础生物学、基础化学概念）
- 社会研究（公民、政府和基础经济学）
In some communities, children will not switch schools to go to middle school. They will keep going to the same elementary school.
在一些社区，孩子们不会为了上中学而转学。他们将继续上同一所小学。
High school
Students attending high school are around age 14 to 18. It starts with grade 9 and ends with grade 12. The classes are arranged by subjects. A student usually has different teachers throughout the day.
上高中的学生年龄在 14 到 18 岁之间。从 9 年级开始到 12 年级结束。班级按科目安排。一个学生通常全天都有不同的老师。
In high school, students learn:
- English (classic literature, essay writing, and critical analysis)
- Mathematics (algebra, geometry, calculus)
- Science (biology, chemistry, physics)
- Social studies (US history, world history, and civics)
- 英语（经典文学、论文写作和批判性分析）
- 数学（代数、几何、微积分）
- 科学（生物学、化学、物理学）
- 社会研究（美国历史、世界历史和公民学）
Some students can take advanced classes and prepare for work or college. High schools also have clubs, sports, work-study arrangements, and other activities.
有些学生可以参加高级课程，为工作或上大学做准备。高中也有俱乐部、体育、勤工俭学安排和其他活动。
There are names for students in each grade:
- 9th grade: freshman
- 10th grade: sophomore
- 11th grade: junior
- 12th grade: senior
Secondary School
A secondary school is an alternative option to a high school. It covers grades 9th to 12th. It offers technical and vocational training, such as carpentry and automotive technology.
A secondary中学是高中的替代选择。它涵盖 9 至 12 年级。它提供技术和职业培训，例如木工和汽车技术。
Post-high school education
After getting a high school diploma, students can go to college. Students need to find a college or university and learn the requirements. You will have to apply and pay tuition. If you need help paying for college or university, there are scholarships for immigrants and refugees.
获得高中文凭后，学生可以上大学。学生需要找到学院或大学并了解要求。您必须申请并支付学费。如果您需要帮助支付学院或大学的费用，可以为移民和难民提供奖学金。
- Public colleges are also known as city colleges and state colleges. Cities and states fund public colleges.
They have low-cost tuition for students who live in the city or state where the college is located.
公立大学也被称为城市大学和州立大学。城市和州资助公立大学。
他们为住在大学所在城市或州的学生提供低成本学费。
- Private college requires paid tuition. It doesn’t depend on the government, it receives funding from donors. There are private colleges that could provide students with many financial aid programs. Private colleges tend to have a smaller number of students.
私立大学需要支付学费。它不依赖于政府，它从捐助者那里获得资金。有私立大学可以为学生提供许多经济援助计划。私立大学的学生人数往往较少。
- You can finish community college in 2 years and then transfer to a University. Many community colleges have affordable and low tuition. Students will earn a certificate or an associate degree.
Some vocational-technical colleges are 2-year colleges.
Offer many career options; after 4 years of studies, students get a Bachelor’s Degree.
您可以在 2 年内完成社区大学，然后转入大学。许多社区学院的学费低廉且负担得起。学生将获得证书或副学士学位。
一些职业技术学院是两年制大学。
提供多种职业选择；经过4年的学习，学生获得学士学位。
- Universities have different colleges. Some universities offer professional degrees (law, medicine). These types of degrees need licenses and extra training.
Students who want to continue their education can apply for a Master’s degree or a Doctorate.
大学有不同的学院。一些大学提供专业学位（法律、医学）。这些类型的学位需要执照和额外培训。
希望继续深造的学生可以申请攻读硕士学位或博士学位。
Class placement
Students can be split up by their learning level in different classes. This is more common in middle school and high school when students attend classes by subject with different teachers. Some levels of classes are harder and some are easier.
学生可以根据他们在不同班级的学习水平进行分组。这在初中和高中更为常见，因为学生按学科和不同的老师一起上课。有些级别的课程更难，有些更容易。
Class placement can be decided based on:
- How well the student understands English or their test scores
- Parent/guardian recommendations
- Standardized test scores
- Willingness to complete challenging assignments
- Student interest or motivation
- Teacher or counselor recommendation
- Samples of student work
- 学生对英语的理解程度或他们的考试成绩
- 家长/监护人建议
- 标准化考试成绩
- 愿意完成具有挑战性的任务
- 学生的兴趣或动机
- 老师或辅导员推荐
- 学生作品样本
The names of the classes sometimes describe the level of difficulty. The names can be different depending on the school.
- Classes that are easier or use easier English levels can be called:
- Inclusion
- Basic skills
- Classes at a typical level for the grade can be called:
- Regular
- Non-honors
- Classes at a higher or advanced level can be called:
- Honors
- GTE (Gifted and talented education)
- Advanced Placement (AP)
- IB (International Baccalaureate)
Grade level placement for students new to the USA
Grade level placement means deciding which grade a student will start in when they move to the USA.
Students may take some tests before the start of the school year or at the very beginning of the school year. The tests might be written or with an adult reading the questions to the student. It can be different depending on the school.
Many refugee students may have missed school while they were in camp or fleeing their country. They may be at different grade levels than a typical American student of the same age. Some students might be at a high-grade level but do not speak English yet. Those students may have trouble in harder classes until they learn English better.
年级安置意味着决定学生移居美国时将从哪个年级开始。
学生可以在学年开始前或学年伊始参加一些考试。测试可能是书面的，或者由成人向学生朗读问题。可能因学校而异。
许多难民学生在营地或逃离自己的国家时可能已经错过了学校。他们可能与同龄的典型美国学生处于不同的年级水平。有些学生可能处于高年级水平，但还不会说英语。这些学生在更好地学习英语之前，可能会在较难的课程中遇到麻烦。
If you think your child is in the wrong grade, you can talk to the teacher, principal, or the school staff who tested and placed your child.
- Ask, “What was your reasoning?” The school can help you understand their decision.
- Explain why you think the placement is wrong. They may be able to change the placement if they agree with your reasons.
如果您认为您的孩子被分到了错误的年级，您可以与老师、校长或对您的孩子进行测试和安置的学校工作人员交谈。
问：“你的推理是什么？”学校可以帮助您理解他们的决定。
解释为什么你认为这个位置是错误的。如果他们同意您的理由，他们可能会更改安置。
转载来源：
https://usahello.org/education/children/grade-levels/