The American educational system is comprised of the following levels of schooling:

pre-school (nursery school) - ages 3-5
kindergarten - ages 5-6
elementary school - 1st grade thru 6th grade - ages 6-11
middle school ("junior high school") 7th-9th grades - ages 12-15
high school - 10th - 12th grades - ages 16-18
college - 2 or 4 year post-secondary ("undergraduate") schooling - associate's degree or bachelor's degree

Graduate School:

Master's Degree - one to two years of post-graduate specialized programs including business, journalism, sciences, humanities, mathematics
Professional Degree - post-graduate doctoral degree obtained through a highly specialized course of study such as law (J.D.), medicine (M.D.), psychology (Ph.D.), business administration (M.B.A.), and engineering (M.Eng.)

Types of elementary and secondary schools:
Public school - free, funded by public tax dollars
Private school - more expensive and exclusive than a public school - offers smaller classes and often more specialized programs
Parochial school - a private religious school that incorporates religious training and/or rituals into education (i.e. Catholic schools, Jewish yeshiva)
Charter Schools - small schools subsidized by public tax dollars but offering a much more intimate learning environment that emphasizes quality

How to choose a quality school for your child:

make sure the school is in a safe neighborhood
make sure the school is adequately funded - no peeling paint, enough school materials like books, laboratory equipment
find out how much the teachers are being paid. Low pay can lead to low morale.
examine the various academic and extra-curricular programs offered by the school - does it emphasize languages, arts and music as well as basic subjects like math and english?...