The 24-year system refers to two years in junior high school and four years in senior high school. In the high school stage of such schools, there are academic courses to prepare for further study, vocational courses to prepare for employment and general courses of basic knowledge.

The six-year middle school combines junior high school and senior high school. Generally, general education is implemented in the first three years and subject education is implemented in the last three years, that is, students choose academic courses, vocational courses and general courses respectively.

Four-year middle school means that the primary schools in this school district implement eight-year system. This kind of middle school includes ordinary middle schools with general education, junior colleges with specialized education and schools with special education. Middle school teachers teach different subjects. Generally, one teacher is responsible for teaching the same subject in two or three classes.

American middle schools don't have national unified curriculum and textbooks. However, all states and schools should maintain students' physical and mental health, master basic learning skills, be competent for civic responsibility, make good use of time and cultivate moral quality. Junior high school is mainly based on basic comprehensive courses, while senior high school courses are highly academic.

Junior high school courses include compulsory Chinese, mathematics, natural science, social science, health and sports, art and music, home economics and so on. , as well as some elective courses such as foreign languages and occupations.

There is a clear boundary between compulsory courses and elective courses in senior high school. 1983 The National Committee for Quality Education of the United States put forward the basic compulsory courses for senior high schools: four years of Chinese, three years of mathematics, three years of sociology, six months of computer and two years of foreign languages. Other compulsory courses vary from school to school. The biggest feature of American education is high socialization, and emergency courses are offered in high schools, such as sex education, safety education, consumption education, survival education, life education and global education.