European Education System vs American Education System - Essay Example

Elementary and secondary schools are combined as one. The system flows from the first grade to the last grade at sixteen years old with no subdivisions of the grades. In contrast to this, the American education system has a division between elementary school and secondary school. Elementary school involves nine years of study while secondary school involves four years of study (Well, 2010). Another difference comes in the number of days of schooling. In Europe, it is required that students attend 237 school days while in America; schooling days are required to be 170. The hours that students spend in class in a day also differ. In Belgium, students spend an average of eight hours in school while in America students spend a whole day in school (Emily, 2014).

Additionally, the education system of Europe and America differs in the time that one goes to college. In German, students have to choose between vocational training schools and academic preparatory and the tender age of ten. However, this is not the case in America because students do not have to choose between the two schools. The education system of America gives an opportunity for anyone who has finished high school to either join college or the university depending on their performance in high school (Well, 2010).

The ways in which private schools are handled in both continents differ. In Europe, most of the private schools that have been put in place are religious while in America, private schools belong to individuals, practitioners, institutions,s or to an organization (Emily, 2014). In addition, the government is involved in the payment of private schools in Europe which is not the case in America. In Europe, the government helps in paying a larger part of fees for students in private schools depending on the location.

The government pays 80% in Austria and Denmark, 85% in Norway, and 70% in Hungary. However, this is not the case in America because parents of students are the ones who pay for all the fees if their children are in private schools.