The American education system does not have a single plan: its general provisions are developed at the state level, and are determined in detail at each particular school.
The age of entry into compulsory education in the United States varies by state, from 5 to 7 years old, with 6 years being the most common. The age at which compulsory schooling ends ranges from 16 to 18, with the most common being 16. School education does not end until the age of 18 or until the completion of the 12th year of schooling, and for those who drop out of school at the end of compulsory education. without a high school (high school) diploma do not receive any certificates or recognition – they are considered high school dropouts.

Students may graduate a year earlier or later, depending on when they entered the school. Gifted students may graduate early because they missed classes, while students may graduate later because they repeat grades. School years in the United States are called “classes”.

The duration of primary education varies from four to seven years, i.e. grades 1-4, grades 1-7, etc. Each state determines what range of grades constitutes primary education, called “primary education”. Depending on the length of primary education, several years of secondary school (usually three years) may or may not follow.

Secondary education is offered in grades 7-12, depending on the laws and policies of states and local school districts.There is no national structure, curriculum or governing law; all laws and regulations are made and enforced by the 50 state governments and over 14,000 local school districts.

All states and school districts have set the high school graduation rate as 12th grade completion, and the common name for the high school graduation qualification is the high school diploma. This diploma title covers many awards across various curricula and standards. There are Honors/Regents, Academic/College Preparatory, Professional and General/Basic High School diplomas.

Each state has minimum statewide course requirements and other graduation requirements that generally follow the general/foundation course. Vocational and Academic/College Preparatory or Honors/Regents usually have additional set academic requirements and/or standards that aspiring graduates must meet or exceed.

In addition, many US school districts and private schools allow students to participate in the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) program. This program allows qualified students to take introductory college-level courses in selected subjects taught by certified instructors.
Exams are offered in each AP subject at the end of the academic year; a grade of 3 or higher usually results in universities awarding high grades in that subject, exempting the student from placement requirements.There are currently over 35 AP items, and more are on the way. A growing number of public and private high schools also offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) as an elective course; fulfilling the IB requirements usually requires an additional summer or semester of study after Year 12.