Schools in the US offer classes in music, language, sports and the arts, as well as required subjects like math, history and geography.

As we've briefly discussed, teaching in the US starts at 4 or 5 years old. The name given to this period is Pre-K or Pre-Kindergarden. This school year refers to kindergarten in Brazil.

Then, between the ages of 5 and 6, comes Kindergarken, which is the Brazilian literacy class.

After Kindergarden, the student enters as if he were in the first grade of elementary school in Brazil, which is called 1st Grade – Elementary School, between 6 and 7 years old at the American school.

Between 7 and 8 years old begins the 2nd Grade, which is the second grade.

Then, at the age of 8 or 9, the student starts taking the 3rd Grade, which is the third grade in Brazil in American schools.

Furthermore, between the ages of 9 and 10, the student is in 4th Grade in US schools, which is fourth grade.

Then, at the age of 10 or 11, he enters the fifth grade which is called the 5th Grade.

In addition to the above grades, at the age of 11 or 12, the student enters the period called Middle School, which starts with the sixth grade in Brazil.

Between the ages of 12 and 13, it goes to grade 8, which is the 8th Grade of US schools.

At 14 or 15 years old, the student finally enters the 9th Grade – High School, which is considered as if it were the new Brazilian grade of US schools.

Afterwards, the period of high school in US schools begins, between the ages of 15 and 16, which corresponds to the first year of Brazilian high school and is called 10th grade (Sophomore).

Thus, between 16 and 17 years old, the student attends the 11th Grade, which is the equivalent of our second year of high school.

Finally, between the ages of 17 and 18, the student takes the 12th Grade in US schools, which corresponds to the last year of high school in Brazil.

One of the big differences from US schools is that the school year in American schools starts in the middle of the year, more precisely in late July or early August. And that's because that's when summer vacation ends in the US.

The summer vacation period is called the Summer Break. In fact, this is the longest vacation period of the entire school year.

If you're wondering why the longest vacation doesn't happen at the end of the year, the explanation is simple.

Year-end temperatures in the US are cold, as it is winter there. As a result, schools and universities choose to take their holidays during the hottest period of the year, rather than at the end of the year.