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high school education). Students wear a special hat
and a gown (=a long, loose piece of clothing worn for
special ceremonies) and receive their DIPLOMA. The
student who has earned the highest grades in his/her
courses all through the high school and who therefore
has the highest G.P.A. in the class is the class
VALEDICTORIAN. The valedictorian usually gives a
speech at the graduation ceremony, and in smaller
towns his/her photograph may be printed in the local
newspaper.
Sports events, especially football, are very popular in
US schools, and CHEERLEADERS lead the students in
supporting the school teams. There are often dances,
plays, and musical events organized and performed
by the students. At the end of the last year of high
school there is a special formal dance, often held at a
hotel, called a PROM. Most students buy a YEARBOOK
each year and their friends write messages in it and
sign it.
In the UK, schools often have dances, plays, and
musical events, and many students play sports. In
many schools the SPORTS DAY and the school FETE
are important events.
Universities
In the US, students usually study at college for four
years, although some students take five years to
finish their DEGREE. Students usually choose one
main subject to study, which is called their MAJOR,
and often choose to study one other subject, called a
MINOR. If you major in a subject, you study it as your
major subject: Karen majored in music. Students
must also take classes in other subjects. Some
universities are partly paid for by state governments,
but even students at these universities must pay a lot
of money for their education. Most students work
PART-TIME while they are studying, to pay for their
living costs. Many borrow money which they begin to
pay back after they GRADUATE (=successfully
complete their course), and it sometimes takes many
years to pay it back.
In England and Wales university courses usually last
for three years, and students typically study either
one subject, or two subjects that are related. In
Scotland the university system is different, and
courses usually continue for four years. In the UK,
students take out STUDENT LOANS, which means that
they borrow money from a bank to pay for their living
costs, and often have large debts by the time they
finish their course. Some students from poor families
receive a GRANT from the government to help pay for
their living costs. Since 1999, students have had to
pay TUITION FEES. Originally, these were £1000 a year,
but from 2005, universities can charge as much as
£3,000 a year for tuition fees. The fees mean that
students have to borrow even more money, so the
government introduced a system which means
students pay the money back gradually, after they
have left university, and only after their income goes
over £15,000 a year.
class
UK school
age
US school
class
reception class
nursery school, playgroup, or
kindergarten (optional)
3
nursery school (optional)
year 1
infant school
4
kindergarten
year 2
5
first grade
year 3
junior school, primary school
6
elementary school**/grade school
second grade
year 4
7
third grade
year 5
8
fourth grade
year 6
9
fifth grade
year 7
secondary school
10
junior high school
sixth grade
year 8
11
seventh grade
year 9
12
eighth grade
year 10
13
ninth grade (freshman)
year 11
14
tenth grade (sophomore)
year 12
technical college, sixth form college*
15
eleventh grade (junior)
year 13
16
twelfth grade (senior)
first year (fresher)
university
17
college
freshman
second year
18
sophomore
third/final year
19
junior
postgraduate
university
20
graduate school
senior
21
22
23
*Some areas do not have sixth form colleges and students continue to study for a further two years in the sixth form of their secondary
school instead.
**In some areas children go to elementary school up to grade 5, and then go to middle school for grades 6, 7, and 8. They then go to
high school for grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.