Speaker A
Welcome back to the D4U USA channel. If this is the first time that you're joining us, welcome. We help entrepreneurs and professionals live their American dream through their business, their investment and their profession.
Learn how the US education system works from elementary to university, including school choice, visa impact, costs, and university application tips.
Key Takeaways
- School choice is determined by residential location in the US.
- Visa status significantly impacts educational pathways and opportunities.
- Public education is free; private and post-secondary education require payment.
- University admissions look beyond grades to extracurriculars and leadership.
- Early planning and understanding the system are crucial for educational success.
Summary
- The US education system includes elementary (grades 1-5), middle (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12).
- School assignment is based on residential location, so parents choose schools by choosing where to live.
- Visa type (immigrant vs non-immigrant) affects educational opportunities, including university attendance and scholarships.
- Public schools are free, funded by taxes; private schools require out-of-pocket payment.
- Post-secondary education (community college, technical school, universities) requires payment regardless of public or private status.
- Students can take different classes in middle and high school: technical, general, or advanced placement (AP) classes.
- High school graduation focuses on passing grades rather than academic excellence.
- University applications consider grades plus extracurricular activities, leadership, awards, and community involvement.
- Preparation for university admission involves building a well-rounded profile beyond academics.
- The video emphasizes planning education and visa status carefully to maximize opportunities in the US system.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
I'm attorney Mari Ribeiro, a lawyer licensed in the state of Florida, and today we're going to be talking about the schools and university system of the United States. So what happens is is many people come to the United States to provide a better future for their families and don't always know much about how the educational system will work.
Speaker A
And that's what we're going to be helping you understand in today's video from elementary school to middle school to high school and of course, universities.
Speaker A
Now, before we get started.
Speaker A
While yes, I am an attorney, it's important that you understand I am not your attorney unless we have a written agreement that says otherwise, so everything we're going to be talking about in today's video is not to be considered legal advice and is only to be used for your educational purposes only.
Speaker A
And usually this is because every one of you and your situation is absolutely unique, and that's why I invite you to reach out to us so that we can give you personalized attention and guidance on how you can live your green card life through your profession.
Speaker A
Now, let's get started.
Speaker A
So in many countries, you as a parent can choose where your child goes to school and you have more control over the education your child will get.
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In elementary school to middle school, even high school.
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In the US, you do not necessarily get to choose your child's schooling.
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So your child's school is assigned depending on where you live, so you only get the power to choose where you live in order to choose what school you're going to go to.
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So you choose your school by choosing where you decide to live. Another thing you will have to choose is which visa your child will be entering the United States and whether it's an immigrant visa or non-immigrant visa.
Speaker A
The type of visa may impact the path that your child can do while they are transitioning from high school to the university system.
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So for example, whether they can attend university or apply for scholarships or grants.
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This will absolutely depend on the visa your child has.
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So the visa your child has will impact the options that they have to continue their education when they are growing up from a child to a young adult.
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This is why it is super important to consider your visa and plan accordingly before entering the educational system.
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So what does the educational system even look like?
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First, there is elementary school, which are grades one through five.
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And then there are three years of middle school, which is grade six, seven and eight.
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And then there are four years of high school, which is grades nine, 10, 11 and 12.
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If a child does not have enough school credit to complete and pass a grade level, that student is not obligated to necessarily repeat the year, but instead they are given an opportunity to take summer classes to continue on to the next grade in the fall when school starts back again.
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So the school is not particularly interested in how well the students perform in school.
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The schools are more interested in just having the student graduate high school.
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So they just want the child to pass every grade.
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They don't care if you pass with an A or if you pass with a B or a C.
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As long as you pass.
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That's what the school is going to be responsible for.
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Let's talk about how much is the schooling.
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So this depends on where your child goes to school.
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If your child attends public school for elementary, middle or high school, it will be free to attend because the taxes are what pay for public schooling.
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If your child attends private school, it is not paid for by tax dollars.
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And you as the parent will have to pay out of pocket for private schooling.
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Any education after high school, whether you attend public high school or private high school, is also going to be paid.
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So this is the case whether it is going to be a public university or a private university.
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A community college or even a technical school.
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What about considering, do all the students in one school get the same education?
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Generally speaking, students in the younger levels will have the same education.
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So I'm really considering talking about elementary school.
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But once they get into middle school and even high school, there are going to be differences in the classes that each student can take.
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There are students who choose to take more technical classes because they intend to enter the workforce right after they graduate high school.
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Then there are the basic general classes that are for students who do plan to attend college after high school.
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And then there are the advanced placement classes, also known as AP classes, for students who can start obtaining credits for college level classes so that when they apply for universities, they are well prepared to get accepted into those particular schools.
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Speaking of universities, how does a student prepare to apply to study at an American university?
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It's not just about the grades that a student earned in school.
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Yes, to be competitive to enter into a good university, they must have good grades.
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But universities also want to see other qualities in the student, like were they involved in the community?
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Did they have any leadership positions or were they recognized for any awards or achievements?
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Were they involved in any activities after school, like clubs or sports teams or art?
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What do they do outside of school that would help them build character?
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Applying for being accepted to a university is similar to applying for a job.
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To show that you are the best candidate to be accepted.
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So you don't want to just rely on grades, but you also want to apply any kind of sports, clubs, art, or achievements or awards or leadership positions that's going to help you look like the best candidate to be accepted in American university.
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So as you can see, the American educational system does require a lot of preparation.
Speaker A
And we hope that you found some of the things that we talked about in this video very useful to help you get prepared.
Topics:American education systemUS schoolselementary schoolmiddle schoolhigh schooluniversity admissionstudent visapublic vs private schooladvanced placement classescollege preparation
