A school is an educational establishment designed primarily to offer learning centers and learning spaces for children under the guidance of qualified teachers. Most developed countries now have systems of private formal education, which in some cases may be entirely obligatory. In these systems, prospective students progress through a particular number of schools before reaching the age for attending the national school. At the national level, there is a system of examination, known as the entrance exam, to determine if the child is eligible for admission into the school. If accepted, the child proceeds to the kindergarten or primary school, from where he/she will remain for the next two years of schooling.

Private schools may be attended either at the parents’ home or at a location of the choice of the child. Most schools have the faculty and other teaching staff based in a physical school building. However, a few schools operate on a virtual platform and are web-based, allowing the students to interact via the Internet with the teachers. There is also a difference between primary and secondary schools, to primary schools tend to be the child’s first educational experience, while the secondary school is a school for older children who have achieved some academic success and wish to move on to higher levels in their courses of study. The curriculum of the secondary school varies considerably from that of the primary school.

In most states, the requirements for entry into kindergarten and primary school are governed by state law, while in some states parents are required to obtain a state certification for teaching in elementary schools. After primary school, most children enter kindergarten and attend grade school in a separate educational institution, usually under the supervision of a teacher. In some states, the role of the principal is limited to supervising the activities of teaching staff and overseeing the completion of the school year. Some jurisdictions are more permissive in terms of the role of the principal, while others are stricter. Private schools, church schools, and other educational institutions generally follow the local regulatory framework for the oversight of the educational process, although formal education standards vary from one jurisdiction to another.