<P> There is debate over which subjects should receive the most focus, with astronomy and geography among those cited as not being taught enough in schools . </P> <P> Schools in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands, teach primarily in English, with the exception of specialized language immersion programs . </P> <P> In 2015, 584,000 students in Puerto Rico were taught in Spanish, their native language . </P> <P> The Native American Cherokee Nation instigated a 10 - year language preservation plan that involved growing new fluent speakers of the Cherokee language from childhood on up through school immersion programs as well as a collaborative community effort to continue to use the language at home . In 2010, 84 children were being educated in this manner . </P>

All students in the united states are provided with free public education through high school