Most American schools finish then because they start an hour or more before schools in most European countries, typical primary school (4-13 years) hours in the

Most American schools finish then because they start an hour or more before schools in most European countries, typical primary school (4-13 years) hours in the UK are 8:30 to 3:30 with an hour for lunch, France is 8:30 to 4:30 but with two hours for lunch and Spain is 9:00 to 5:00 with a two hour lunch as well. In Germany schools start between 7:30 and 8:30, but finish anywhere between 11:30 and 1:30. The number of hours of class per week in the US matches a lot of European countries, but most countries in Europe have schools start and finish later on in the day, and some have extended lunch breaks that also push the end of day forwards.