Every community in the United States has a public school system, responsible for educating children at elementary and secondary levels. Public schools are supported largely by property taxes, with additional aid from state and federal governments. Federal and state agencies set standards for local public schools, but local community school boards actually administer the schools. Among literally thousands of different public school jurisdictions, districts, taxing authorities, and administrations, educational procedures and standards can vary widely across the country.

Public schools are free. They are also mandatory starting with First Grade. Parents can be arrested for keeping their children from school, unless they go through a difficult process of proving that the children are receiving an adequate education at home.

Begins at Age Five. Some communities offer pre-school education or nursery schools for 3 and 4 years olds, but public school in America usually begins with kindergarten, for five year olds. Kindergartens children learn the basic elements of numbers and the alphabet, often by watching educational television programs like Sesame Street.

High school is a special experience in American culture with a mythology of its own. It's the time when boys and girls awkwardly discover each other. It is questionable how much actual education occurs in high school given these circumstances. The terms "freshman, sophomore, junior and senior" refer to the first through fourth years of high school (as well as the first through fourth years of college).

Two year colleges, often called community colleges, usually award the Associate of Arts degree (A.A.). They accept most applicants, are often public supported, and have lower tuition than four-year schools.

Four year colleges, called "undergraduate" schools, form the mainstream of American "higher education." Admission requirements, courses offered, residence facilities and other features will vary widely. These colleges give "bachelors" degrees, usually a bachelor of arts (B.A.) or a bachelor of science (B.S.).

Private colleges can be extremely expensive. Students with financial difficulties have access to a well-developed system of financial aid, however, which can dramatically reduce costs through a combination of grants, loans, and work-study programs.

Types of Colleges. The most prestigious colleges in the eastern part of the United States--like Harvard, Princeton and Yale--are known as the "Ivy League" because of the characteristic ivy plants that frequently grow on the sides of their beautiful old buildings. (The term "Ivy League" also refers to the type of people who have traditionally attended such universities, as well as certain clothing styles associated with them.) Other colleges, especially some of the large state schools, are known as football or basketball schools due to their emphasis on athletics. Most colleges are co-educational ("co-ed"), meaning that they accept both men and women, though many single-sex colleges still exist. (The term "a co-ed" refers to a female student at a co-educational college. It is not popular with feminists.)

Colleges and universities with religious affiliations are widely found in America. Some, though not all, give or require religious instruction along with academic subjects. Most major religious groups in America have their own systems of sponsored colleges.

Information from Life in the usa a definitive guide to everything American

The relevant education departments in England, Scotland and Wales dispense funding for schools through a Local Education Authority (or Education Authority in Scotland). In Northern Ireland, schools are largely financed from public funds through five Education and Library Boards.

There are 114 university institutions (and 60 higher education colleges) in the UK, counting separately the constituent colleges of the federal universities of Wales and London. Approximately 1.8 million students currently are in the higher education system; about one third of young people go on to higher education at age 18 (with almost 50% of students in Scotland), and an increasing number of "mature" students are studying either full-time or part-time for university degrees.  Higher education is a priority in current policy for the current government, with a target set to attract 50 percent of 18- to 30-year-olds to higher education.

Most undergraduate degrees take three years to complete, with undergraduate degrees at Scottish universities lasting four years. At the graduate level, a taught master's degree normally is earned in a single year, a research master's takes two years, and a doctoral degree is completed after three years. Professional courses, such as medicine, veterinary medicine, law and teaching, usually are undertaken as five-year undergraduate degrees, but students who already have been awarded a different undergraduate degree often can take a shorter, graduate-level course.

in the UK

The National Academic Recognition Information Centre provides information on an equivalent UK degree to one gained in the US or other foreign country.  There is no charge to individual inquirers. (Note: the National Academic Recognition Information Centre does not comment on institutions that are not regionally accredited.)

The Department of Education and Skills also provides a list of officially validated and recognized UK degrees.

Information from http://www.britishcouncil.org/

So concluding with my personal endnote of bias, I would have to admit that American Colleges invite more of a rigorous, dynamic intellectually arousing ethos, though at the expense of cultivating an active social scene. The lessons derived within the UK university establishment arise from outside the classroom within the pubs and clubs, where social development rather than intellectual development takes preponderance.

Information from http://www.internationalstudent.com/news/us_vs_uk.shtml