We don't have national standards in the US... not only is every state different, but every district WITHIN each state is different... but wait there's more... every SCHOOL is different. I grew up military so I've been to 11 US Public Schools (and 1 Dept of Defence school).
We also have several categories of schools here
Public School = Dayschool, FREE.
Alternative or Charter Schools = Public School, Free. These school focus on a particular aspect of education. Like using a different philosophy from the "norm" (like a montessori or waldorf charter school), or different hours/requirements, or focusing on one or more of the following; arts, sciences, maths, etc.
Parochial School = Dayschool, either public or private, religious based (usually catholic)
Private School = Dayschool, one's parents pay. An average cost for private schools on the West coast is about $15,000-$25,000 per year. Usually 15k for K-6th or 8th, and 20k+ for 7 or 9th-12th.
Boarding School = Be very VERY careful with US boarding schools, because they're not like UK Public Schools, but the VAST majority are "reform schools" / where troublemakers get sent because they've been arrested several times as youth, or are heavily into using drugs, etc. The kind of boarding school that is NOT a reform type school here usually gets called a Prepatory Academy, but not always, and most Prep Schools are private dayschools. What few there are, are usually on the east coast, although there are a handful in other areas.
Okay... so why the definitions?
Schools between districts are very VERY different in their "scope and sequence", as are each and every single private school from the local public schools and from each other. We live in Seattle which in public school districts has Seattle, Shoreline, Northshore, Edmonds, Eastside school districts. In one district there is a reading (100 sight words)/writing (block printing)/math test (2 digit addition & subtraction, simple word problems) for *entrance* into Kindergarten, in another the district the school HOPES that by the END of K, the students know how to count to 20, recognize *most* of the alphabet, and know shapes and colors. Radically different, no?
The same holds true for the rest of the country. In some districts K is all about the social aspect/ learning how to follow the rules/ stand in line... in others it's very academic. SOME districts don't do maths until 3rd grade (crazy), some have kids competent with arithmetic by the end of 3rd and moving into algebra for 4th.
I homeschool (for many reasons). I use UK standards as one of my guidelines for designing curriculum. Many, if not most, of the UK standards for curriculum for primary school are things that are not seen HERE until highschool (grades 9-12) UNLESS you're in a GOOD private school.
HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend working with someone who knows the area that you will be moving in. In the US, unless you have an "in" deadlines for registering for private schools tend to be mid January to mid Febuary. You'll need to find out the area in which you'll be living in order to find GOOD schools, either public or private.
And many people here in this country don't know it, but in most states K is OPTIONAL, and not required. If where you're moving to your daughter is advanced beyond K, you have a right to enroll her into 1st, even if she's 5. The cutoff date is for entry into school, most people just associate it as entrance into K. Same token, education isn't compulsory until age 7, so many many parents are keeping their kids home until 6. So K tends to be age 5-7, 1st ages 6-8, 2nd ages 7-9, etc. So most parents choose private school if their child is ready for 1st at age 5 in the publich sphere so they won't be in class with 8yos / social suicide.
