Overview of the U.S. Education System

The U.S. Student Population: Large and Diverse

There are few institutions in the United States as large and diverse as our public education system. Indeed, to refer to it as a "national" system is a misnomer. Despite the fact that about 88 percent of students in the United States are in public schools, the system is highly decentralized with local school boards and state government playing prominent roles. Though the federal government's role has expanded, only 8 percent of overall school funding comes from the federal government. And curriculum, standards and graduation requirements vary not only throughout the 50 states, but within them as well.

As of 2005, the public K-12 system included more than 14,000 districts educating more than 49 million students, which accounts for 17 percent of the US population.

The country's education system is far more diverse than the overall U.S. population. In 2000, while racial minorities represented 25 percent of the country's entire population, they made up 39 percent of the K-12 student population. By 2005, the proportion of minority students as a share of the K-12 population increased to 43 percent.

The Structure of the U.S. Education System: A State-by-State Responsibility

While each state has a head of public education, her/his title, method of appointment and responsibilities vary from state-to-state. But while Chief State School Officers can set broad goals, implement standardized tests and control state funding levels, most decisions regarding curriculum, disciplinary policy and administrative hires are made at the local level by school boards and school district superintendents.

The Federal Government's Role: Funding and Monitoring

Although the federal government does not have direct control over any school's curriculum, the U.S. Department of Education, which has a budget of more than $73 billion, does play an important role in several areas, including:

• Directing federal financial aid;
• Collecting education statistics, evaluating programs and policies and administering the National Assessment of Educational Progress; and
• Implementing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (more commonly known as the No Child Left Behind Act), which requires states to set standards for each grade, test reading and math achievement in grades 3-8 and once in high school and hold schools accountable for achieving adequate yearly progress.