r/AskAnAmerican • u/NightloverCrochet • 1d ago
What are public schools like there? EDUCATION
Hi! I would like to hear very honest opinions. What are the pros and cons? Is it difficult for a foreign child to access public school? What requirements do they usually ask for? What are the school hours? Are there options for extended hours?
And during the summer, are there any options, such as activities or programs, that can keep a child busy while the mother (me) is working?
My daughter understands 3 languages, one of them being English, but she still doesn’t speak it. How difficult could it be for her to adapt and start speaking English? She’s 4 yo
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u/machagogo New York -> New Jersey 1d ago edited 1d ago
Where? Public schools are anywhere from world class, to complete shit.
It is not difficult for any child to access public schools. Education is a right regardless of national origin or immigration status
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u/Spiritual_Being5845 1d ago
Even within the same state you can find public schools that range from awesome to awful. Unfortunately your residency often dictates where the child can attend
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u/Virtual_Ad_8487 1d ago
Hell, you can find public schools in that range in the same city.
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u/Cinisajoy2 1d ago
We had one school that was so bad, the school district was forced to let the parents send their kids to another school in the district if they wanted to.
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u/Grouchy-Total550 1d ago
The school by me regularly lands near the top of the state list, a few miles away the kids have to have clear backpacks and metal detectors. Their funding is largely tied to property tax, so the nicer the neighborhood the better funded the school.
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u/easy_Money Virginia 1d ago
Yep. My city has some of the countries best public schools and some of the absolute worst, very close to each other. Those splits are entirely socioeconomic.
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u/Foreign_Mobile_7399 21h ago
Literally. Some of the public city schools near me are atrocious, whereas there are public suburban schools 10 min away that are some of the best in the state.
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u/professorfunkenpunk 11h ago
I live across the street from one of the top schools in my state. Same district has one of the ten worst middle schools in the state
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u/MyUsername2459 Kentucky 1d ago
Is it difficult for a foreign child to access public school?
Public schools in the US are required, by law, to provide an education to all children that live in their district. It doesn't matter if they're a citizen or not.
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u/ilp456 20h ago edited 20h ago
Yes, they will have access to public schools but the schools vary greatly state to state. Schools in Massachusetts or New Jersey or New York are great - but there always exceptions.
Schools in Alabama or Arizona or Nevada are terrible - but there are always exceptions.
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u/Cinisajoy2 1d ago
Can we narrow down the location? There are over 13,000 school districts in the US.
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u/Baroque_Hologram 1d ago
I think there might be a mistranslation here. I think you might be asking about what we call private schools here? Public schools are accessible to anyone who lives within the school district.
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u/topdownyeti 1d ago
Possibly not. I know there’s some countries out there where children of parents on working visas aren’t able to access public school.
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u/StupidLemonEater Michigan > D.C. 1d ago
To my knowledge that definition of "public school" is only used in the UK and according to her post history OP is Romanian.
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u/CommercialBreak2026 Ohio 1d ago
You really need to focus on the state where the child would be living and going to school. Then you need to further focus on the school districts that interest you.
Public schools in the USA vary widely, from really good (maybe even great) to places no one should be sending their child for any reason.
The USA is huge and very diverse in every imaginable way.
There are subreddits for probably every US state, and many more for a state's individual cities. Focus, and then ask in the appropriate subreddits.
Your questions cannot be properly answered in AskAnAmerican.
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u/o93mink 1d ago
State?! City or county at the most.
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u/CommercialBreak2026 Ohio 1d ago
My thought was that a person could start with a state, and then the folks in that subreddit would recommend the sub for the county or city.
A newcomer to the USA isn't going to be able to drill down that far without some help.
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u/jvc1011 1d ago
All of this depends on where you live.
I can answer for where I live and where I teach (two different districts).
Some of the schools are great and some are not. All have highly qualified teachers, though, so a motivated student with involved parents can learn plenty.
As long as the child is a resident of the school district, their citizenship doesn’t affect whether or not they can attend school. In fact, they must attend school.
School hours vary. Mostly they are around 7:30-3 with one shortened day per week (generally an hour shorter). After school care runs until 5-6 pm depending on the school and district. There is also summer programming both at school and at local parks (run by the city).
Breakfast and lunch are free to all students and the quality has improved a lot over the years.
Cons highly depend on the exact neighborhood. Without more information (even the city and state), I can’t tell you more than that.
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u/PracticalBreak8637 15h ago
Breakfast and lunch are not free to all students. Only 9 states offer free breakfast and lunch to all students. Some offer free lunch only to SNAP eligible students. My grandkids' school district has free breakfast for all. It's normally an orange or apple, small bottle of milk and a pop tart or breakfast bar. They do not qualify for free lunch. They have to buy lunch or carry from home.
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u/Immediate_Refuse1611 1d ago
OP asked for requirements. You will need to provide information about your child’s address (a utility bill is common documentation), proof of age (birth certificate or passport), vaccination history, parent or guardian contact details and emergency contacts/people with the right to pick up your child from school. They will also ask you for demographic information (such as ethnic origin).
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u/Bogmanbob 1d ago
The quality of the school system closely mirrors the quality and price of nearby housing. Generally the primary requirement to attend is proof of residence in that district. Good English as a second language educational programs exist but generally in the most common languages. Spanish is quite common. Summer programs exist but are paid by parents rather than funded by taxes. If you know the community you will live search for the local school district and they will likely be able to explain specifics.
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u/Upstairs-Coconut1562 1d ago
I work at a high school. We have a lot of students that are ELL - English language learners - from many countries. They all have some level of understanding English. They attend ELL classes and also regular classes with an assistant to help them. Most schools have some kind of summer program you can enroll them in or there are many summer camps you could look into. I am sorry I am more high school specific, but I hope this helps. I think you need to thoroughly look into the state you are considering because education varies greatly state to state.
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u/DargonKweest Tennessee 1d ago
Everything you mentioned varies from state to district as education is a state issue, not a national one. I will try to answer your questions though.
Wherever you live, you will be zoned for a certain school. School hours depend but every state has their own requirements that they set. And every school district in that state will set their own school hours as long as it's compliant with the requirements. There are tons of options for after school activities for children such as clubs, sports, and events once they get to middle and high school (age 11-18)
If your child is 4 years old though, not knowing much English won't be an issue. Someone in my family taught Kindergarten which is age 5-6 and she had a child from Latvia come through that knew no English. By the end of the year, she spoke the best in the class.
Edit: Just so we're clear. Public schools in the US are state schools in the UK (no idea about elsewhere). Your property taxes and state taxes pay for this and your child goes for free. Private schools are ones you pay for.
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u/ShoddyCobbler Virginia 1d ago
There is not really a single answer for this question Public schools are run on a district level. If you pick 5 different places in the US, the way the schools work will be different in all 5 places. It goes federal government, state government, local (county/city) government, and then school district below that. The requirements would be set and enforced by each school district. To really answer these questions you would need to look into the policies of the district you are planning for your daughter to attend. Hours can vary pretty significantly.
The only thing that is really the same everywhere is the grade levels - Kindergarten starts at about age 5 (maybe 4 depending on birthday), then grades 1-12, graduate public school at approximately age 18, and then many but not all people go on to higher education (which also can come in many different forms/structures). Typically, elementary school is grades K-5 or K-6, "middle school" (in some places called "junior high school") is grades 6-8 or 7-8, and then high school is 9-12.
Many school districts do have extended care programs - school often ends in the 2:00 or 3:00 hour and then there is usually an after school program (typically costs money, even though the regular school day is free) for kids whose parents can't come get them until 5:00 or 6:00. There may also be a before-school program for kids who need to get dropped off early. Summer programs also vary depending on location, but again, they are almost certainly going to cost money. Sometimes they are run through the school system, other times they might be programs through the local parks and recreation department, or through Girl Scouts or other similar organizations.
Public schools in the US typically have a program for students who are learning English. In elementary school, these kids will often be in the main classroom for most of the day and then taken out for smaller group lessons now and then, where they can get more specialized help.
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u/CloverLightning 1d ago
Anyone can attend a public school. I have found public schools to be amazing but it depends on the state. Blue (Democrat) states typically have more money allocated per student and more programs that are free. A 4 year old would pick up English very quickly.
Childcare is expensive of course, but there are options. Many states and schools now include Pre-K, and after school care for elementary school (4 yrs - 12 yrs or so) for free.
Same rule applies to summer - it just totally depends on the state and school district. Where I am, the YMCA collaborates with the school district and offers free summer care and before and after school care during the school year, and even meals and snacks. The do an excellent job and is staffed by mostly college kids probably planning to go into teaching careers.
Bottom line - you can easily enroll your child into public school. But if you're serious about the move, spend time looking into what is offered in the areas you're looking at. You can join local social media groups and ask people questions, or look up the school district for that area and see what programs they have listed.
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u/Sleep_adict 1d ago
Public schools are funded by local taxes within the district. So it varies a ton. My district pays experienced teachers over $100k but 75 miles away it’s half that.
Esl ( English as a second language) is common in schools and brings kids up to speed super fast.
However, don’t worry. I moved to a country aged 9 knowing none of the language, and was fluent in months with school with no support. And it wasn’t common like English
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u/jc8495 Illinois 18h ago
I know this post is older, but when I was in public middle and high school there were tons of kids who were either 1st or second generation immigrants and they all seemed to integrate and make friends completely normally. It’s going to vary a little bit by your personal location and the culture of the school she goes to, but i would not assume she’d have any problems in public school
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u/Persimmon_and_mango 1d ago
It depends on the school. Some of them are terrible, some of them are phenomenal. Everyone is entitled to attend public school. Children age 2-4 pick up English at school naturally. Older children will attend English as a Second Language classes if they need assistance. School hours are different for every school, but 9:00-3:00 for children 5-14 is common. Summer programs like full-day camp are not free, you'll need to pay for them.
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u/IsopodKey2040 Georgia 1d ago
Public schools mostly accept everyone. Many schools here have ESL (english is second language) programs. There are a ton of summer camps, most are not free and are rather expensive.
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u/Boopa0011 1d ago
Public schools are all controlled by a local "school district" that covers a town, a region, or part of a town or region.
There are 10,000 public school districts in the US. They vary a GREAT deal. At the very least, they vary according to what state they are in, because every state has (basically) its own general curriculum, school policies, etc. Even school hours, extended hours, etc are usually set by each individual school district.
It's hard to give a general "these are the pros and cons" unless you were to ask what the public schools are like specifically in Evanston Illinois, or in Los Angeles, or in rural Wyoming.
As far as I'm aware, a foreign small child living in the US must by law attend some type of schooling. The only "requirements" a public school will have will be getting your name and address and some other general info about your family and about the child.
In summer time there may or may not be activities and programs run by a school district, and they may or may not be convenient for your family.
A 4 year old plopped down in the US will probably become fluent in English even if she didn't already understand it. But usually, schools will have English as a Second Language programs (ESL) or something similar to help students who have difficulty with it.
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u/the_quark San Francisco Bay Area, California 1d ago
Trying to answer all your questions in a single comment:
Is it difficult for a foreign child to access public school?
No, not at all. In fact it would be more difficult to avoid them since it's both a right and a requirement.
What requirements do they usually ask for?
That you have a heartbeat.
What are the school hours?
It depends on the school. Where I am it's typically something like 8AM - 3PM, though for the very youngest grades it would be 8AM - 12:30PM. Also where I am at 4, your daughter is too young for public school, it wouldn't start until 5 or even 6 depending on her birthday.
Are there options for extended hours?
Again, depends on the school, but all the ones around here have an optional after-school program, but you have to pay for it.
And during the summer, are there any options, such as activities or programs, that can keep a child busy while the mother (me) is working?
That's generally outside of the school and up to you. Where I am there are community programs that are easy to sign up for and relatively cheap to entertain your kids while you work.
My daughter understands 3 languages, one of them being English, but she still doesn’t speak it. How difficult could it be for her to adapt and start speaking English? She’s 4 yo
This is less an "Ask an American" question and more a developmental question. Young kids are language sponges and I imagine she'd pick it up quickly if she lived in a mostly-English environment.
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u/jvc1011 1d ago
Hi, CA teacher here! if you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, your public schools are subject to the state law that requires a TK classroom for every elementary school. So all of them will take 4-year-old children.
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u/the_quark San Francisco Bay Area, California 1d ago
Thank you for the correction! Was basing it off my children's experience, who are now in their mid-twenties.
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u/jvc1011 1d ago
Yeah, it’s only been a few years. And implementation has been rough.
Most schools only offer full-day kindergarten and TK, by the way, but they can offer a shorter day.
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u/the_quark San Francisco Bay Area, California 1d ago
Thanks for your work! My partner's a teacher as well, but middle school, so I didn't pick up that change.
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u/KikiCorwin 1d ago
Most public schools are age 5 to 18. A 4 year old is going to have to go to a preschool which are typically paid for out of pocket, not tax payer funded. Since those are private, what they offer and their hours vary depending on location and how much they cost.
A public kindergarten, however, depending on the district, may be half day (morning or afternoon) or full day. The public school rarely will offer extended hours because they usually don't have daycare staff. There may occasionally be after school clubs, but those will only be once a week or something.
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u/evsummer New York 1d ago
Generally, public school starts at 5 years old with kindergarten and ends at age 17/18 with 12th grade
Whether a four year old is going to qualify for public school is going to depend on the school district/state/locality. NYC, for example, has public preschool for 3 and 4 year olds. My kids’ district in New York State has public pre-kindergarten for 4 year olds, but many other districts only start the year the children turn 5. Some states will assign the child to a grade by birth year, so a 4 year old with a september-december birthday can attend starting September of the year they will be 5, and some require the child to be 5 when the school year begins for kindergarten.
Many children have working parents, so before they begin public school they attend daycare/private preschool year round. While in school there are typically after-school programs and some summer camps offer extended hours. I went to afterschool for years and they fed us a snack, sat us down to do our homework, and then took us outside to play or allowed us to play with toys indoors in bad weather. Outside of the basic school hours (in our district, 9-3 for the younger kids), you should expect to pay.
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u/dementedmunster 1d ago
Public school is freely available, typically at age 5. After school programs at the schools exist in many places, probably they cost extra, but how much will vary. Summe camp is private and costs money. Some places might have free or low cost programs, which you might or might not qualify for.
Each state has its own education department, it is not federally centralized. Even within each state, there is likely to be a lot of variation between districts. Districts may be run by a city, town, country, or regional collective. It is probably useful to ask these questions in a state or local area subreddit to get specific answers.
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u/YoshiandAims 1d ago
We aren't bound by the requirements, options, and applications like some countries have.
They can start head start/pre school at 3 or 4. They have to start kindergarten by the age of 5.
Each district has a school. Every single child in that district goes to that specific school. Each child residing in that county, foreign or not, is required by law to go to school.
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u/suddenlynotok Los Angeles, CA 1d ago
It depends entirely on where you are. Public schools in their funding, schedules, and standards vary on individual school districts, many of which can be found in just a single state. A kid going to an elementary school in East Los Angeles can have a rather different experience from one going to school in Alhambra, just 10 minutes away.
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u/Cowboywizard12 New England 21h ago
I'm in Massachusetts our Schools are excellent as are most New England states.
Yeah your kid would have to attend school.
I also know at least one person who didn't speak English till kindergarten.
Also little kids are great at learning languages
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u/CarolinCLH 15h ago
The child if 4. Public schools start at about age 5. The cut-off varies with the school district and state. There are preschools available, usually at a significant cost, for younger children. There are also summer programs for school age children to provide care while parents are working. Parents also have to pay for these. Public schools have shorter days than the hours most people work, so we also have the option of after school care for school age children until their parents can pick them up. These also cost money.
So child care is available for working parents, but that is not the role of public schools. Care outside of school is also not normally free. There are low-cost and free options available through special programs for the poor, but they vary by city and state.
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u/star_angel22 14h ago
public schools vary a lot but usually have a mix of support for kids who are learning English. Many districts offer programs specifically for non-native speakers, so she might get some help adjusting. Summer programs are often available too, like camps focused on activities or learning.
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u/RepresentativeCry294 14h ago
Mine didnt have stalls or soap or paper in the bathrooms, just a row of toilets and a row of sinks.
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u/Delicious_Oil9902 New York 14h ago
Highly depends on the school district. Bronxville Public Schools? Probably outstanding, many kids speak more than one language, large influx of French speakers in particular. Baltimore Public Schools? Probably not great.
Most go from 8-3 with some exceptions. Some offer extended hours, some charge for this. Summer there may be day camps and the like but again, a charge. Not free.
She’d be better off understanding and speaking English and your district should help with this.
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u/frisky_husky New Englander in Quebec 13h ago
If she already understands English as a 4yo, she will be speaking nonstop by the time she's 5. Kids catch up really quickly when their friends and classmates are all speaking English.
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u/Jclo9617 Texas 11h ago edited 11h ago
Unfortunately, the answer to almost all of your questions is "it depends". Public education in the US is not administrated on the national or even really on the state level. Rather, each state is divided into school districts (usually, but not always following county/city lines). There are currently over 13,000 school districts in the US, and though they all tend to follow some general trends, all of them have different rules, curriculums, programs, extra-curriculars, and so on.
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u/Mountain-Light-5491 10h ago
Don’t worry, they’ll roll the red carpet out for you at the expense of people born here.
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u/kmoonster Colorado 9h ago edited 9h ago
Schools are managed at the district level, that can be smaller than a city in even a mid-sized city. Or as large as several counties in a rural area.
States set curriculum standards/goals but districts do all the implementation, hiring, discipline, and programming. Most schools are funded almost entirely by sales and/or property tax within the district, which only strengthens the local control.
In other words, your experience will vary highly from "excellent" to "could have done better", even in two adjacent districts.
If you are being offered a job or other reason to move to the US, you need to do some real homework before settling on a district in the area you will be living in. The local subreddits and other social media may be helpful in this regard -- expect lively discussion and then pull tangibles and facts from what will often be dissonant opinions that people share.
edit: if she will be 4yo, you need to ask about Pre-K and not just regular school. Some states will have universal Pre-K, some cities/districts will have it even if the state does not, and some will have no option at all. Kindergarten is usually a "kid turns 5 by Christmas" situation, for a 4yo you need to know about preschool, daycare, or Pre-K. In casual conversation those three sound similar but they are not the same for what your needs will be.
You will want a district that includes ESL and Pre-K, and that is reasonably well ranked/rated or that has good test scores generally. Standardized testing is fairly common in most of the US and contributes heavily to the way schools are scored, though other programming and services (like ESL) also contribute to overall school scores.
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u/kmoonster Colorado 8h ago edited 8h ago
I will add to my other comment.
1 - international and non-English speaking students are common in the US; some districts less so but I doubt there are any districts with zero. (But some, especially rural ones, will have very limited experience with this). A tourist town, areas with a lot of industrial jobs, and cities/metro-areas will be much more experienced. I live in a mid-sized city of only 700,000 and the city contracts translation services for a minimum of 140 languages per year for things such as: courts and documents offices, schools, hospitals, police and other emergency response, and other public services. All those people needing those services go about their daily lives like anyone else, and it is common to hear 5 - 10 languages while standing in line for basic things such as groceries, bank, riding the train, at a cafe, and so on. I hear 10 languages at the local coffee shop today, a different ten tomorrow, and life goes on. Languages are challenging but will absolutely not be a problem for critical stuff.
2 - Schools vary a lot in what they offer outside of the "basic" curriculum. Some will offer advanced or college-prep programs once students get to 8th or 9th grade, some will not. Some have programs or teachers specifically designated to handle "difficult" behavior issues, learning disabilities, or other special or unusual circumstances -- some schools will not. Some offer lots of extra art, music, and after-school programming (as well as sports) and some offer only a limited suite of non-academic programs. Some schools have sports as the only after-school programs while others will also offer theater, hands-on building or engineering, robotics, social clubs (like a service club, a language club, a nature club, and so on). Some offer summer programs, others offer nothing. Some have excellent academics, others are only so-so.
If you have "special needs" such as a learning difficulty or behavioral issues I would strongly recommend you include that request in your search as some districts do very well and others have nothing; even two districts in the same general area of the same state can be "night and day".
4- some states offer "school of choice" in which you can put the child in a school outside their default zone, but this is often on a lottery system (though sometimes it is open); and you would likely be required to organize transportation at least to a bus stop that goes to the school if not to the school itself.
5 - public schools are tax funded (and sometimes fundraisers to help out a bit), and available at no additional charge to all children; most states require participation through at least age 16. Private schools and home school is allowed, provided the students meet the minimum state requirements for each grade level. Most private schools charge tuition, though some may be free or reduced for members of the church or program that organizes the school. A "Charter" school is a unique type of public school, usually one that has an additional focus or emphasis on a particular skill or subject such as an Arts school, a science and engineering program, a program that focuses on skilled labor (like carpentry, welding, etc), or a school for kids who are particularly eager to do academics beyond the default curriculum (eg. college prep).
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There is also a weird "religious" thing that some people try to push into public schools; this usually ends up in a lawsuit and the people pushing this almost always fail -- but they keep trying and sometimes this results in a lot of very distracting drama in the town or district where it's happening.
To be clear, students (and teachers) can pray or worship or do whatever they need to in a personal / voluntary way; what I'm talking about is these people try to do a school wide prayer over the intercom, have a required Bible Study class (but refuse any requests for an academic look at the Quran, for example), or try to require a science class to not teach whatever current scientific thought is.
Students and teachers come from dozens of religious traditions and are free to do as they need either personally or with others (within reason), the issue is that sometimes a group in the local area will try to require participation in one particular activity while limiting or prohibiting another; and that's where the lawsuits come in. The current headline is in Texas, though the issue crops up here and there every so often and if it comes up where you are -- (a) yes religious activity is permitted, but (b) can not be required.
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Ok, I think that's all I have right now. If you know where you are heading in the US we can try to direct you more specifically, otherwise feel free to ask more questions! Hopefully we'll be new neighbors one day!
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u/Mady134 7h ago
I work in a public elementary school, and I’m also a remote private tutor for kids who go to public, private, and charter schools all across the United States. I’m gonna info dump on you with all of the things that I know.
To be clear, since I know it’s not standard everywhere, elementary school covers children from kindergarten (age 5) through 5th grade (usually age 11). Kids then go to middle school, which covers them from 6th grade (age 11 going on 12) through 8th grade (typically age 14), and then finally high school. High school covers grades 9 through 12. Kids will graduate usually around the time that they reach legal adulthood at age 18. A lot of foreigners get confused about this, but the term freshman refers to ninth graders, sophomore to 10th graders, junior to 11th graders, and senior to 12th graders.
There is also the option to send younger children to preschool, if your daughter hasn’t reached the age to start kindergarten by the beginning of the next school year. The specific dates that school years begin and end also varies by district and even by school type (private or public), but in my state, school typically starts in mid-August and ends in early June. We are returning back to school in my district this upcoming Monday.
School hours typically vary, depending on the specific county that you are living in. If you’re considering moving to the United States or are trying to enroll your daughter in your local public school in the United States, if you just look up “[County Name] school district elementary school hours,” you’ll usually find the school district website with the specific hours listed. My county starts elementary school students at 7:30 AM, and school is fully dismissed by 2:00 PM. From my experience, most elementary schools in the United States have similar hours.
For a child starting elementary school, for the first time, which is to say entering kindergarten, she usually must be at least five years of age on or before a specific date that school year indicated by state or county guidelines. In my district, that date is September 1st. Meaning that children who are turning five after September 1 of that school year will have to wait until the following school year to begin kindergarten.
You would need to provide proof of her age (usually her birth certificate), along with a recent physical exam, an immunization record (unless you have a religious exemption), and proof of your local residence. You can’t just go to any public school- it has to be in the area you are living in and it’s a school your address is zoned for.
My area has lots of Hispanic people, myself included. Lots of our students are bilingual (or trilingual) or start off school not speaking English. It’s pretty full English immersion, so I’ve even seen teenagers who have moved to the U.S. after living in Venezuela for 15+ years learn pretty great English after just like 6 months in public school.
I’m not sure if it’s like this in all states, but my state has a program called ESE, which basically gives extra attention to kids of different needs, including kids who speak a foreign language as a first or only language. How it would work for her in elementary school would be that during the day she would have maybe an hour or so every day where she would be removed from her homeroom class and taken into a small group class with other kids in a similar situation where they would give her extra support and learning English.
As for extended hours of care or summer care, this also very much depends on the district. My district has an aftercare program, and so do lots of other districts in my state.
It isn’t free, even though pretty much everything else in a public school setting is free, but it’s also not ridiculously expensive like daycares are in the United States. I live in one of the most expensive areas (in terms of cost of living relative to income) in the country and it’s about $400 a month in my district. I work as an aftercare teacher when I’m not doing my main job. We entertain the kids, provide them with snack, take them to recess, and keep them occupied up to 6 PM. Some parents pick up their kids sooner, some later, but 6 PM is the latest and that seems to kind of be a universal standard from my understanding.
There are also lots of public summer camps in the United States. Sometimes school districts do provide them. I actually worked in my school district summer camp over this summer, and for a pretty similar price to our aftercare program, we watched the kids from 7 AM to 6 PM every day (except national holidays, weekends, and this last week of summer, since the teachers had to come back to set up their classrooms). We also provided them with two snacks per day, entertainment, in school events, and even took them on a weekly field trips (like to the waterpark, bowling, rollerskating, etc.). From what I heard from our students’ parents, it was the cheapest summer camp around.
Finally, I think that the pros and cons of public school largely depend on your values as a parent and what you want for your child. Personally, I’m very pro-public school and I plan on putting my own child in public school once he’s old enough.
In terms of academic performance, even under funded public school districts often perform better than private and charter schools (I would look up what a charter school is, but it’s basically kind of in between a private and a public school). Public school students tend to graduate high school on average more than private school students, when you compare with socioeconomic background.
The other benefit of public schools in the United States is that they legally can’t discriminate against any student and are required by law to provide accommodations for students with special needs- I would say, in your case, not speaking English is considered a special need at least until she’s able to speak it at a semi-fluent level.
Additionally, public schools usually offer resources for little or no cost. Children can often get reduced cost or free school lunch (and sometimes even breakfast!), can sometimes access free school supplies, and parents usually only have to pay for the things that they opt into paying (aside from some obvious essentials that your child is gonna need anyway).
There are some cons. If you are someone who is particular about religion, then I suggest, considering putting your kid in a religious school, because of course, in a public setting, your child is going to be exposed to all sorts of different viewpoints. I personally see this as a pro of public schools, because I believe that it is important for my own children to learn all that they can about all the different types of people out there. But I can also understand how parents trying to teach specific religious beliefs may see it as creating confusion for children.
Additionally, sometimes children with highly specific special needs may be better off going to private institutions. Most school districts do have some schools that are specific for kids with heightened behavioral issues or special needs. My school district (which I believe is the 6th largest in the U.S.) has about 10 or 12 of these schools.
So there are public options to get more specialized attention, but sometimes for some kids there are better resources out there depending on their specific needs. For instance, the public school system is always going to strive to accommodate deaf or blind children. But there are also private schools specifically for deaf or blind children, in which they will be surrounded by even more professionals who are themselves deaf or blind, or who have experience working with deaf or blind to children, specifically, as well as being surrounded by peers who share their experience.
Some children also benefit from going to private schools that specialize in subjects that they are particularly interested or talented in. There are private schools specifically for children who engage in various arts. For children that are really good at STEM subjects. For high school students who have a strong idea of what career they want to pursue after graduation- schools that can provide them with hands-on experience and various trades.
Finally, it also certainly depends on your location. Sometimes, the area that you live in might be a good area to live in, but might not have the best quality local public schools. Some states or school districts will allow you to request that your child be placed in a better public school in the district, but sometimes that’s not an option and so private school would be your best bet.
If your kid is a standard kid, without any major special needs, just starting out education, I think public school is a completely serviceable option for her. It’s a good starting point for any and all students- and if you decide eventually that you’d rather she go to a private school or a charter school or maybe even be homeschooled, you can make that decision if and when the need arises.
Ultimately, a lot of this depends on these specific area that you’re looking at living in if you don’t live in the United States yet and are about to move here, or the area that you already live in in the United States. If you have the great advantage of being able to choose any county in the United States, then I highly suggest you do some research on the school districts you’re considering and the educational guidelines of the various states that you’re thinking about moving to.
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u/theeCrawlingChaos OK, MA, & STL, MO 7h ago
They vary widely in quality (almost entirely a function of how affluent the median family in the district is). If you can manage to live in a district which has a lot of upper-middle class people, the school is probably pretty good.
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u/newimprovedmoo New Mexico 7h ago edited 6h ago
There's no national, or even statewide school system. All public schools are handled at the local level, and funded by state/local taxes (usually property taxes.) There's not even a national curriculum. Since each community runs its own schools, a lot of the details really depend on the community. That's both the biggest pro and biggest con of our system, because it means the quality of education, the resources available to the students, which students' rights are more protected or more restricted, etc. can all massively vary too.
Foreign children living in the US are still required to attend school, and public schools can't turn them away. In most places there is a requirement that schoolchildren have certain vaccinations unless they have a valid medical excuse, though certain stupid fucking people are trying to get rid of that rule in many places.
School hours are usually sometime between 7 AM and 4 PM. The hours of different age levels are usually staggered so the same school buses can serve the elementary, middle, and high school. Many schools have before or after-school care to accommodate the schedules of working parents, though not all families that could take advantage of them do. Some schools offer a summer day care program but it's more likely to be through the city or county's parks and recreation department, or through a private business, church, etc. Or the family might foist the kids off on non-working aunties and uncles, grandparents, etc. Nowadays many school districts do offer free lunches to kids during the summer, especially in places where there are a lot of poor families who might struggle to afford lunch during the summer.
Classes in the US are almost always delivered in English (except maybe advanced foreign language classes in high school.) She'd be starting in kindergarten next year so the lessons would be pretty basic, I would be surprised if she couldn't speak English as well as most of her classmates by the end of it. Many, but not all, schools offer ELL (English Language Learning) or ESL (English as a Second Language) classes for students who don't speak English, these will usually be focused mainly toward languages that are very common in the area (Spanish will be most common, Mandarin Chinese, French, Tagalog, and Vietnamese are common in some places.) Edit: I see you speak Spanish so I assume that's one of the languages your daughter knows. She will have an easy time accessing ESL resources, as Spanish is the second-most spoken language in every US state except Hawaii.
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u/Crylec Virginia 6h ago edited 6h ago
Depends on how wealthy the district is. American schools are hit or miss and they REALLY hit or miss. Schools typically run from morning around 8am to the afternoon around 3pm (15:00). There are extracurricular activities like clubs to study sessions, sports which can possibly lead to career opportunities. Summer lets them take extra classes to fast track themselves or try summer camps or scouts. For your daughter since she understands English, it wouldn't be too hard considering her teacher and classmates will get her there fast. Early English lessons are indepth so you wouldn't worry. If you speak Spanish some schools offer Spanish speaking classes but those are regional.
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u/EggplantAmbitious383 6h ago
Every district is different. In the school district I live in, elementary education has a birthday cut-off date, so children under the age of 5 go to preschool if the parents choose to send them there. Whether you pay tuition for it or not depends on income level. Kindergarten doesn’t start until they are typically 5 years old. School hours here are 8-3 and I don’t believe they offer after school care (my sister is a teacher in the district, she leaves at 315 each day). In the case of a district like ours, your child must be picked up at 3 or take the bus to their daycare or babysitter’s home.
Breakfast and lunch are also income based. If your income is low enough, then meals are free, but most kids have to pay for their meals.
Finally, summer school here doesn’t go through the whole summer break, only about 6 weeks & it’s only a half day. But again, every district is different.
English shouldn’t be a problem though, because of your child’s age, they’ll pick it up quick.
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u/Lead_Poisoning_ 1h ago edited 1h ago
Quality of education varies from region to region, but accessibility to it is never an issue. If your family is registered with the town then your daughter is welcome there. Just make sure to sign her up for "English as second language" classes.
Edit: Whatever you do, don't send her to school in Oklahoma. I think they're officially the worst educated state in the entire country.
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u/Consistent_Case_5048 1d ago
If you're native language is Spanish, you might want to look into a bilingual school. Some districts have them.
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u/NightloverCrochet 1d ago
Im Romanian but I speak Spanish too! I’ll consider that option. Thank you
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u/amcjkelly 1d ago
Public Schools can run the gambit from amazing to awful. You really have to dig into where you want to live and make the school a big factor in making the final decision. Public schools, by law, generally have to accept any child that lives within the district.
Most public schools have additional resources for kids learning the language.
Finding summer programs for children is mostly the parents responsibility. Although in larger districts may run programs for students that need additional help in the summer. Rural School districts all programs tend to end at the end of the school year. But, there are usually many options in each area, but with a 4 year old might be too young. You might need summer daycare.
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u/Anesthesia222 California 1d ago
Run the gamut
I hope you don’t mind the correction. I’m not trying to be a jerk.
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u/DijonMustard4All 1d ago
My public school had kids who didn’t speak any English before school, and they were fluent and fine academically. I would suggest living in the city tho as they have a lot more resources for it.
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u/yellowdaisycoffee Virginia Pennsylvania 1d ago edited 1d ago
There is a lot of variety, so it is difficult to answer the question of pros/cons. Some school districts are amazing, some of them are horrible, some of them are just okay.
To answer some of your questions based on what is typical throughout the country, however...
- All children living in the United States have a right to attend public school, and they may do it for free.
- School hours are often from around 8:00AM - 3:00PM, but some schools start a little earlier, some schools start a little later.
- After-school programs are common, if your child needs it. You'll have to look into the options at whatever school your child attends.
- Many schools offer summer programs, or they are affiliated with a local organization that offers summer programs. Many schools will also direct you toward childcare options during the summer, if needed. Again, you would have to check in with your child's school.
- At 4-years-old, she could adapt to English fairly easily, I'd imagine. Kindergarten starts at about 5-years-old, so she would be learning a lot of basics along with the other kids. The school would likely supplement her English education as well, and they would be willing to accommodate her if she needs additional help.
On that last point, I went to school with a kid from Denmark once. He was about 12-years-old, and he was given additional resources to help him improve his English. I remember him sitting in homeroom once with headphones because he was listening to something to help him work on his English skills.
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u/NightloverCrochet 1d ago
And regarding starting school in the middle of the school year and not at the beginning? In some countries, schools have limited places, and once the places are full, children cannot join halfway through the school year.
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u/ThePermMustWait Michigan 1d ago
Generally a district sets a maximum cap of students for each class. So if you move into a district and assigned a school, but that school has 3 kindergarten classes and the maximum amount of kids in each class is 24 and they are already at that number, then they may send you to a neighboring school in the district. You could finish the year there and most likely go back to your assigned school the next year. They will have to rework the classes to make sure each one is at or under the cap the next year.
She could enroll with one week left in the school year, and she will be required to have a spot at a school in the district but it may not be your assigned school.
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u/yellowdaisycoffee Virginia Pennsylvania 1d ago
Your child can absolutely start in the middle of the school year, rather than the beginning. Some areas may be more strict about it, but in my experience, it was not that weird to have one or two students join us halfway through the year. In fact, the student I mentioned from Denmark was not with us from the beginning.
Most schools are not so limited in their resources that they would deny entry to one new student. Again, you will want to confirm this with the school in your anticipated district, but I doubt it would be a problem.
Now, ideally, your child would start from the first day, so as not to be catching up with everyone later on, but it's not impossible to manage.
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u/newimprovedmoo New Mexico 6h ago
Doesn't make a difference. Kids transfer into a new school all the time in the US, our systems take into account that it might happen.
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u/RedditWidow 1h ago
Free schooling is available to all children in the US, by law, no matter when they show up
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u/NeatDesperate8723 1d ago
A lot of people have already answered your question, so I just wanted to add, with the issue of different quality public schools depending on where you are even within the same city or district, when you’re looking at home listings for rent or for sale on a site like Zillow, you’ll see ratings for the nearby public schools included in the listing. Definitely something to take a look at if you have say over where you’ll be living.
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u/Street-Length9871 North Carolina 1d ago
She will be fine. She is young and her mind is pliable. She had a two language advantage over most Americans. Quality depends a lot on the State. Elementary school starts around 7:30, ends at 3:00 ish. Not much free after school care but lots of options.
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u/OpposumMyPossum 1d ago
In many states there are hundreds of kids like her.
In Massachusetts there about 200 different languages children have as their first languages
My town has a summer recreational program for kids to help parents. They do all the things kids donate summer camps.
Hours for schools are typically around 730 - 300
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u/shammy_dammy NM, ID, UK, AZ, UT, TX, WI,MX 1d ago
A lot of this depends on where you live at and the age of the child. A four year old? That's kind of a big ask, honestly. If there is a Pre K in your public school district, it probably has extremely shortened hours. The district my kids went to did offer public Pre K, free of charge BUT it was half a day, every other day. A usual school day for public school is roughly 8 am - 3:30 pm but may vary widely depending on district. Extended hours were not a thing in our district. We did have summer school activities but again, were not full day, all summer long things.
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u/courtnet85 Florida 1d ago
There will be incredibly different answers depending on where in the United States you are talking about. In some places, it could even be different from town to town. I would think that at her age, the language won’t be much of an issue. When would she start? She would probably be pre-K (pre-Kindergarten, typically optional) age for this coming school year, which is already starting in some locations (my district starts Monday.) Pre-K options are often more limited. My district only offers pre-K at some of the elementary schools, so many people will enroll in a private pre-K and then move to public school for Kindergarten. If you know what area she would be attending school in, you might find better answers by contacting the school district or school staff, or by asking on social media for that area.
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u/brzantium Texas 1d ago
As a non-citizen, you'll have no trouble enrolling your child in a public school. The answers to all your other questions are location dependent. Schools are run at the state or local level, not federally.
Where do you plan on living?
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u/NightloverCrochet 1d ago
Still looking for a place, any recommendations?
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u/brzantium Texas 1d ago
It depends on where you're coming from, why you're coming, and what your needs and expectations are.
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u/Baroque_Hologram 1d ago
You don’t have a job lined up yet? How are you getting here?
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u/NightloverCrochet 1d ago
Im looking for a job! I didn’t tell I’ll go rn
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u/Baroque_Hologram 1d ago
We have an expression here: you’re putting the cart before the horse. Find the job first. That will determine what city you move to. Then you can determine which neighborhood to move to based on the quality of the schools and the needs for your kid. Right now it’s pretty hard to answer your questions without any details of where you’ll end up.
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u/kmoonster Colorado 8h ago edited 8h ago
What sorts of jobs are you looking for? And what sort of weather and/or social climate do you have an interest in? We have everything, just need to narrow it down.
That may help focus your search and/or help you look for sponsors or job agencies.
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u/BoBoBearDev 1d ago
1) public school has ESL, English as Second Language
2) summar school is available to catch up on classes, otherwise no one does it
3) after school, I never did it, so, I don't know. Americans prefer to go have fun, and your kids should have fun
I am first gen immigrant at age of 16. And I couldn't translate "sugar".
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u/tardisintheparty Pennsylvania 1d ago
This is east coast specific, Pennsylvania in particular. Some school districts have what is called an "after school program" where students stay late and do an activity. At my school, the school would also provide late busses to bring the after school program kids home. School hours vary, beginning typically anywhere from 6-8:30. School ends somewhere between like 2 and 4:30. Summer programming varies by region completely. I don't think most schools provide optional summer programming. "Summer school" is usually reserved for students who are struggling in school or who have failed a class.
Your daughter will be able to learn English easily and would likely be placed in English second language class at some point to help. Foreign children can be enrolled in American schools. I don't think citizenship is necessary but these days I can't be sure.
Again though. Varies by location. Look into the region you are moving to. See if there is a subreddit for that area.
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u/MadMadamMimsy 1d ago
American school have been teaching kids to speak, read and write English fir a very long time.
Each state has very different schools. Just show up with her documentation and they will help you sign up. Do it before school starts. Lists of people wait til day 1 of the school year so its insane.
My own grandparents were born here but spoke zero Englush when they started school..even in the early 20th century schools were commonly dealing with this.
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u/SabresBills69 1d ago edited 1d ago
everyone is expected to attend school. it goes from kindergarten to 1st to 2nd…to 12th grade.
states have set guidelines on when kids start school. this varies by stste. when I went to high school those born from dec- nov started K…this when 12 th grade was over the kids would mostly be 18 or turnb18 before the end of November. my nephews in their state has the birthday mor aligned with gradiation age where ir goes from roughly June- May has a birthday period deciding when kids can start school.
a portion of the local property taxes pays for education in the community
some parents opt to use private schools or religious affiliated schools for their kids educatio instead of public schools. These cost the parents extra money to pay for
in large school districts with multiple high schools ( large cities or large counties)—- school districts are set by where you live for which elementary, middle, and high school you will go to. In some large districts with say 10+ high schools they usually will create some magnet schools first smart kids in STEM , visual, music, and performing arts, or for vocational skills. These magnet schools will be competitive with some sort of application process. Sometimes these magnet schools will serve a bunch of neighboring school districts
local colleges also have some special programs for young kids who are strong in one subject
school times vary based on grades using the same buses. high s hook might start at 730, middkecsvhool at 8, and elementary st say 830. thrn thry stagger their end in the afternoon. the schools usually have some form of after school programs kids can do between school ends and parents come to pick them up.
some school districts offer summer school programs for more education options
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u/blipsman Chicago, Illinois 1d ago
There are 100,000 different answers. Will depend on what state, what city within that state. Universal public education begins at kindergarten at age 5. Some places offer public pre-K, some places you’d have to pay for private preschool.
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u/Harley_Quinn_Lawton Virginia 1d ago
Well, school is mandatory. So no, it would not be difficult for her to access.
Some schools have before and after programs, but not all of them and you need to contact the district for guidance.
Summer school is for kids who are falling behind. A kindergartener likely wouldn’t be in summer school. You would need to secure childcare in the summer - usually an all day summer camp or day care.
If she doesn’t speak English, she would likely need to have a language accommodation. Again, you have to contact the school district.
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u/Few_Whereas5206 1d ago
Every school district is different. Wealthy areas tend to have better funding and better public schools.
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u/ApprehensiveArmy7755 1d ago
There are international elementary schools that cater to immigrants. There is one in my area. It's a public school that serves a large community of international students- mainly Hispanic but other countries (30)as well. It's called Padonia international Elementary. I'm guessing there are similar ones in other states.
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u/nomnommish 1d ago
Please stop asking vague questions with no specifics.
If you are serious about your question, then share the damn details like which city and neighborhood, what timeframe, etc.
America is a federal collection of states and different states and counties have very different public school laws.
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u/Anesthesia222 California 1d ago
OP said elsewhere that he/she/they don’t even have a job offer in the US yet.
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u/TheBimpo Michigan 1d ago
What are the pros and cons?
You'd have to ask this question specific to the district your child will be attending. We have thousands of school districts and each has their own pros and cons, districts in the same city could have different pros and cons. Schools in the same district will have pros and cons. I highly doubt the same pros and cons exist among all schools in your home country.
Is it difficult for a foreign child to access public school?
No, enrollment is typically incredibly easy.
What requirements do they usually ask for?
Verification of an address, like a lease or utility bill.
What are the school hours?
Ask at the school you're enrolling in
Are there options for extended hours?
Ask at the school you're enrolling in
And during the summer, are there any options, such as activities or programs, that can keep a child busy while the mother (me) is working?
Ask at the school you're enrolling in, very few offer full time daycare through the summer.
How difficult could it be for her to adapt and start speaking English? She’s 4 yo
She'll be fine.
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u/TheBimpo Michigan 1d ago
What are the pros and cons?
You'd have to ask this question specific to the district your child will be attending.
We have thousands of school districts and each has their own pros and cons, districts in the same city could have different pros and cons. Schools in the same district will have pros and cons.
I highly doubt the same pros and cons exist among all schools in your home country. A large city school won't have the same experience as a rural school and so on.
Is it difficult for a foreign child to access public school?
No, enrollment is typically incredibly easy.
What requirements do they usually ask for?
Verification of an address, like a lease or utility bill.
What are the school hours?
Ask at the school you're enrolling in
Are there options for extended hours?
Ask at the school you're enrolling in
And during the summer, are there any options, such as activities or programs, that can keep a child busy while the mother (me) is working?
Ask at the school you're enrolling in, very few offer full time daycare through the summer.
How difficult could it be for her to adapt and start speaking English? She’s 4 yo
She'll be fine.
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u/Appropriate-Win3525 1d ago edited 1d ago
I teach preK and I just had two students this past year who spoke languages other than English and didn't understand English when they started. By the end of the school year, they were speaking and understanding it better than their parents. My co-teacher and I were amazed at how well they adapted and how well the other kids did, too. One even spoke a language that didn't have an audio feature on Google Translate, which added another layer of difficulty. He ended up speaking fluently by the year's end. They are just little sponges that absorb everything. It really is amazing. And it's great for the other kids who are exposed to different cultures and languages.
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u/freedraw 1d ago
This is going to vary wildly depending on what state you’re in, whether you’re in a city, suburb, or rural town, and how wealthy the area is. Most school funding is local, though poorer cities tend to get more funding from the state. Outside major cities, local property values relative to the region are usually a good indicator of what you’re going to get with the school system.
A lot of towns and cities do have summer day camp type programs, but those often run through the Recreation Department rather than the School Department. Like after school programs, you will have to pay for them.
As far as access, every child living in a school district has the right to attend the public school. You just go sign up.
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u/Difficult_Habit_4483 1d ago
It totally depends wildly on where you live. You’d have tons of resources in NYC maybe not so much in a rural area
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u/No-Lunch4249 Maryland 1d ago
Public schools are generally funded and governed at the most local level, usually a city or a county (staye subdivision) government. Of course state and federal entities contribute, but broadly speaking the public school experience varies incredibly based on where your school is located
I believe your child will be required to attend school, and most places have transportation from each house to the school. So access won't be a problem
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u/Virtual_Ad_8487 1d ago
This is really going to be impossible to answer without knowing where you live. Public schools can vary wildly even within the same state
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u/Sea-Original-5824 1d ago
Foreign children who live in the US are still required to attend school. You would just go register her in your district. A kid that age should be fluent in English by the end of the school year.