二、美国高中一瞥

美国是一个联邦制的国家，所以各州有各自的法律，教育系统在各州不尽相同。小学通常是六年，叫做elementary school 或者 primary school；初中一般是两年，叫做middle school或者junior high school；高中通常是四年，叫做senior high school或者high school。 有时候初中和高中被统称为secondary school，相当于“中学”。寄宿制学校叫做boarding school。中国在年级的名称上使用初一、高一这样的词汇来区分。但是美国是从小学到中学连着按年级数，即1年级到12年级。在四年制的高中里，从“高一”到“高四”分别称为freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, 与大学中四个年级的称法一致，相当于中国的初三、高一、高二和高三。

美国的学校分为公立和私立两种。其中公立学校是由政府出资，款项大多来自当地的税收，所以除了基本的课本等开销，几乎没有学费，对于家庭收入较低的孩子，还提供免费的午餐、文具等。国际学生通常可以通过交换生项目（exchange student），持有J-1访问学者签证在美国的公立高中就读，但是通常只能读一年。之后如果想继续在美国读书，可以考虑转学到私立的学校，并重新申请F-1学生签证。这样的例子在美国的小留学生中是很普遍的。

私立学校通常没有政府的津贴，只能依靠学生的学费（tuition）和来自校友的资助（donations）。所以私立学校的费用要比公立学校贵很多，而且会根据学校财政情况不断作出调整。和公立学校相比较，私立学校的设施条件一般都比较好，设备维护和更新都很到位。另一方面，私立学校的管理很严格，而且在校学生通常来自家庭条件及修养都不错的家庭。如果准备充分，国际学生也可以获得私立学校的金额可观的奖、助学金。

At a glance—American high school

      Under the federal system of the United States, each state has its own law system and does not abide by any national standards. Junior high school goes for 2 or 3 years, while senior high school lasts for 3 or 4 years. Sometimes, junior high school and senior high school together are called secondary school. Students live in dormitories in a boarding school. Unlike in China, the first year of elementary school is 1^st grade, and it keeps going until 12^th grade, the last year of senior high school. In a four-year high school, the four grades are also dubbed freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior, much like the naming system in college.

There are two kinds of schools in the US: public and private. Public schools are funded by the government and taxes. There is almost zero cost except for costs for textbooks and such. Free lunches and stationeries are provided for low-income families. International students can attend these schools as exchange students, but they need to obtain an F-1 student visa in order to transfer to a private school after the first year.

Private schools normally are not funded by the government, but depend on tuition and donations. This is why the cost of private schools is much higher than that of public ones, and is subject to change based on financial situation. Private schools generally offer better facility, maintenance, and upgrading. Plus, these schools have stricter rules, such as dress code, and students come from a better family background. With good preparation, international students can receive substantial scholarships and financial aid from private schools as well.