Elementary Schools, High Schools and Institutions of Higher Learning

There are eight years of elementary schooling. The elementary school is followed by four years of secondary school, or high school. Often the last two years of elementary and the first years of secondary school are combined into a junior high school. The school year is nine months in length, beginning early in September and sometimes a shorter one in spring. There are slight variations from place to place. Students enter the first grade at the age of six and attendance is compulsory in most states until the age of sixteen or until the student has finished the eighth grade. The elementary schools tend to be small. The high schools are generally larger and accommodate pupils from four or five elementary schools.