I’m Going To Try To Go Through These A Couple At A Time To See If I Can Help.

I’m going to try to go through these a couple at a time to see if I can help.

U guys have one (high-)school?

That depends on where you live. Some states make you stay within your school district (which is a group of schools in roughly the same area), others don’t. Even if your state lets you go to other districts, rural areas and small towns will often only have a couple of schools close enough that you could feasibly get to them. If you live in a city, you’ll usually have more options, but sometimes they’re all similarly bad.

For everyone? 

Some people also choose to homeschool, although usually not for high school.

Some states  have charter schools, which are still public schools but aren’t part of a school district. They tend to be more specialized than district schools.

If your parents are rich or you get a scholarship you can attend a private school as well.

With one degree? 

Typically, a given high school will only offer one degree.

Like, what do u do if you get bad grades? Drop out of highschool? Do u still get a degree? 

It depends on the person and the school. As far as I know, all states have a minimum number of credits required to graduate and get a degree, and some schools and districts add onto those requirements. You need to pass a class to get credit, but even a D- still counts as passing. If you fail a class, your options vary by school. At some schools you can make it up with summer school or online courses, but at others you have to actually retake the class. Some people do drop out of school, but that happens for other reasons as well.

If you drop out or age out of the system, you can also take a test to earn a GED, which is supposed to substitute for a high school diploma.

Why do you have a separate school for grades 9-12?

First of all, not all schools are 9-12, although many are. There are a few reasons for this division:

1. Many public high schools are large enough that it wouldn’t make sense to add younger students as well.

2. It may not be safe to put elementary schoolers in the same building as high schoolers.

3. The licensing requirements often are different for teaching elementary, middle, and high school. 

What are standardized tests,

There are two main types of standardized tests in the United States:

1. Legally mandated tests

Because of No Child Left Behind (a law passed in 2001), schools have to do well on this type of test or lose their funding and possibly be closed down. In theory, they cover basic material that every student is supposed to be able to do.

2. College admissions tests (SAT/ACT)

These are multiple-choice tests that students take to get into college. They have a LOT of problems and by in large do not measure what they’re supposed to measure.

Both types have their issues. I tend to consider the ACT/SAT less effective as measuring what they’re supposed to -- I did very well on the ACT, and in large part that was because I was a fast reader, not because I was actually better at the material covered than my classmates. 

y do u get so much homework, 

First of all, most of the reports of people doing massive amounts of homework a night are exaggerated. If you don’t stop to check social media, watch Netflix, etc. it doesn’t take that long at most schools. 

With that being said, it’s still a fair amount. Some teachers assign busywork, which increases homework time without providing real benefit. Fundamentally the issue is that every teacher views their class as most important and assigns homework accordingly.

y do they matter so much?

I assume this refers to standardized tests. Standardized tests are frequently assigned a high weight in college admissions because some high schools grade more strictly than other schools and colleges want an allegedly objective metric to compare students from different schools.

I hope that makes sense! Feel free to ask me if you have any other questions.

Important Question

Can someone pls explain the American school system to me?

Like… U guys have one (high-)school? For everyone? With one degree? Like, what do u do if you get bad grades? Drop out of highschool? Do u still get a degree? Why do you have a separate school for grades 9-12? What are standardized tests, y do u get so much homework, y do they matter so much? I’m confused. (And why do u have the same subjects EVERY.SINGLE.DAY?)

sry if those were too many questions but like… ¿??¿¿¿¿?????¿???¿????

AMERICA EXPLAIN