The first time most students in United States public schools encounter a course specifically dedicated to biology is during high school. Biology is a usually a required course that students must complete before graduation. A student will probably take this course as a freshman in high school, but, depending on the school system, some students may complete the course during their later years of high school.
Elementary schools usually devote one class period or part of a class period each day to the broad study of science. Students in these classes are introduced to a wide variety of scientific disciplines, with biology being one of them. When students take a field trip to the zoo in elementary school, the trip may be used to teach children about the life and biology of animals. Teachers may prepare activities that specifically teach biological concepts.
The Science Standards for elementary schools in the United States require that students be introduced to Life Sciences. Life Sciences is another term for biology. Before fifth grade, many students will have taken at least one course in Life Sciences and been exposed to various concepts of biology. Students' knowledge will be tested on standardized tests, which ensures that students are introduced to biological sciences before entering high school.
Standardized testing is used by the United States Department of Education to determine how well schools are teaching students about different disciplines and concepts. Life Sciences is one of the disciplines included on this test. This ensures that teachers spend time working with students to teach them about biology and the principles associated with it. Students are, therefore, introduced to the subject of biology even though the science class is not usually labeled as such.