United States

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in the United States|Higher education in the United States}}
[[File:University-of-Virginia-Rotunda.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Virginia]], founded by [[Thomas Jefferson]] in 1819, is one of many public colleges and universities in the United States.|alt=Photograph of the University of Virginia]]

American primary and secondary education (known in the U.S. as [[K–12 education in the United States|K-12]], "kindergarten through 12th grade") is decentralized. It is operated by state, territorial, and sometimes municipal governments and regulated by the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education]]. In general, children are required to attend school or an approved [[Homeschooling in the United States|homeschool]] from the age of five or six ([[kindergarten]] or [[first grade]]) until they are 18 years old. This often brings students through the [[twelfth grade|12th grade]], the final year of a U.S. high school, but some states and territories allow them to leave school earlier, at age 16 or 17.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d02/dt150.asp|title=Ages for Compulsory School Attendance ...|access-date=June 10, 2007|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics}}</ref> The U.S. spends more on education per student than any country in the world,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rushe|first=Dominic|date=September 7, 2018|title=The US spends more on education than other countries. Why is it falling behind?|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/07/us-education-spending-finland-south-korea|access-date=August 29, 2020|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> an average of $12,794 per year per public elementary and secondary school student in 2016–2017.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 2020|title=Fast Facts: Expenditures|url=https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=66|access-date=August 29, 2020|website=nces.ed.gov|language=EN}}</ref> Among Americans age 25 and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attended some college, 27.2% earned a [[bachelor's degree]], and 9.6% earned a graduate degree.<ref>{{cite web|title=Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-550.pdf|access-date=August 1, 2006|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> The U.S. [[Literacy in the United States|literacy rate]] is near-universal.<ref name="WF" /><ref>For more detail on U.S. literacy, see [https://nces.ed.gov/NAAL/PDF/2006470.PDF A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st century], U.S. Department of Education (2003).</ref> The country has the most [[List of Nobel laureates by country|Nobel Prize winners]] in history, with 411 (having won 413 awards).<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Nobel Prizes |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-prizes |publisher=Nobel Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2022–2023 Best Global Universities Rankings |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=[[U.S. News & World Report]]}}</ref>

[[Higher education in the United States|U.S. tertiary or higher education]] has earned a global reputation. Many of the world's top universities, as listed by various ranking organizations, are in the United States, including 19 of the top 25.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fink |first=Jenni |date=October 22, 2019 |title=U.S. Schools Take 8 of 10 Top Spots on U.S. News' Best Global Universities |url=https://www.newsweek.com/us-news-best-global-universities-american-schools-dominate-top-10-1466768 |access-date=April 18, 2023 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=April 19, 2023 |title=Best Countries for Education: North American and European countries are seen as offering the best opportunities for education. |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-countries-for-education |website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref> American higher education is dominated by [[state university system]]s, although the country's many [[Private university|private universities and colleges]] enroll about 20% of all American students. Large amounts of [[Student financial aid in the United States|federal financial aid]] are provided to students in the form of grants and loans.

Colleges and universities directly funded by the federal government are limited to military personnel and government employees and include the [[United States service academies|U.S. service academies]], the [[Naval Postgraduate School]], and [[US military staff colleges|military staff colleges]]. Local [[community college]]s generally offer coursework and degree programs covering the first two years of college study. They often have more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pannoni|first1=Alexandra|last2=Kerr|first2=Emma|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/articles/2015/02/06/frequently-asked-questions-community-college|title=Everything You Need to Know About Community Colleges: FAQ|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=July 14, 2020|access-date=July 9, 2022}}</ref>

As for [[public expenditure]]s on higher education, the U.S. spends more per student than the [[OECD]] average, and more than all nations in combined public and private spending.<ref name="education spending">{{cite news|date=June 25, 2013|title=U.S. education spending tops global list, study shows|publisher=CBS|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57590921/u.s-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows/|access-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> Despite some student [[loan forgiveness]] programs in place,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Biden administration cancelled $9.5B in student loan debt. Here's who it affects. |url=https://usafacts.org/articles/the-biden-administration-cancelled-95b-in-student-loan-debt-heres-who-it-affects/ |access-date=July 15, 2022 |website=USAFacts |language=en}}</ref> [[Student debt|student loan debt]] has increased by 102% in the last decade,<ref>{{cite news|last=Hess|first=Abigail Johnson|date=December 22, 2020|title=U.S. student debt has increased by more than 100% over the past 10 years|publisher=CNBC|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/22/us-student-debt-has-increased-by-more-than-100percent-over-past-10-years.html|access-date=January 8, 2022}}</ref> and exceeded 1.7&nbsp;trillion dollars as of 2022.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dickler|first1=Jessica|last2=Nova|first2=Annie|date=May 6, 2022|title=This is how student loan debt became a $1.7 trillion crisis|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/06/this-is-how-student-loan-debt-became-a-1point7-trillion-crisis.html|publisher=CNBC|access-date=July 8, 2022}}</ref>