<P> Schooling is compulsory for all children in the United States, but the age range for which school attendance is required varies from state to state . Some states allow students to leave school between 14--17 with parental permission, before finishing high school; other states require students to stay in school until age 18 . Public (free) education is typically from kindergarten to grade 12 (frequently abbreviated K--12). </P> <P> Most parents send their children to either a public or private institution . According to government data, one - tenth of students are enrolled in private schools . Approximately 85% of students enter the public schools, largely because they are tax - subsidized (tax burdens by school districts vary from area to area). School districts are usually separate from other local jurisdictions, with independent officials and budgets . </P> <P> There are more than 14,000 school districts in the country, and more than $500 billion is spent each year on public primary and secondary education . Most states require that their school districts within the state teach for 180 days a year . In 2010, there were 3,823,142 teachers in public, charter, private, and Catholic elementary and secondary schools . They taught a total of 55,203,000 students, who attended one of 132,656 schools . </P> <P> Most children begin elementary education with kindergarten (usually five to six years old) and finish secondary education with twelfth grade (usually 17--18 years old). In some cases, pupils may be promoted beyond the next regular grade . Parents may also choose to educate their own children at home; 1.7% of children are educated in this manner . </P>

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