The division certainly exists, but most of the rest of the world uses the concepts of primary, secondary, and tertiary education. The US tends to distinguish b

The division certainly exists, but most of the rest of the world uses the concepts of primary, secondary, and tertiary education. The US tends to distinguish between before high school, high school, and college. Which puts the demarcation lines in different places. International comparisons are further complicated by the different focii that exist in different countries. For example, my final two years of secondary education in the U.K. were entirely focused on a very academic approach to Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. While the school payed lip service to the idea of well-rounded students, that was really left to the kids. At university, my first mathematics lecture was on surface integrals — if you weren't ready for that there had been a catch-up summer class, but the implication was that you'd be ready.