All rights reserved. Every community in the United States has a public school system, responsible for educating children at elementary and secondary levels. Public schools are supported largely by property taxes, with additional aid from state and federal governments. Federal and state agencies set standards for local public schools, but local community school boards actually administer the schools. Among literally thousands of different public school jurisdictions, districts, taxing authorities, and administrations, educational procedures and standards can vary widely across the country.
Public schools are free.
They are also mandatory starting with First Grade. Parents can be arrested for keeping their children from school, unless they go through a difficult process of proving that the children are receiving an adequate education at home. Begins at Age Five. Some communities offer pre-school education or nursery schools for 3 and 4 years olds, but public school in America usually begins with kindergarten, for five year olds. Kindergartens children learn the basic elements of numbers and the alphabet, often by watching educational television programs like Sesame Street .