I've been a student of the public education system in the United States. By the way, there isn't one 'public education system' in the States, so my previous statement is actually very inaccurate. I'm from California, so my schools had to conform to Californian standards of education and curricula. How successful my particular schools were in doing this is up for debate. Here's what I can spill, and I'm not one known for his memory:

Elementary School (sometimes called 'primary') [K-6]
--age 4 to 11 (now age 4 to 10 in most places)

History here fell under "Social Studies". It was, as in some university campuses, treated as a social science and not as part of the humanities. As such, much of anthropological work showed through in the lessons prepared for us. Although I was in elementary school for 7 years, more than I probably will be at any other educational institution, I can recall very few main points from social studies. This might tell you something! I remember learning about cave art and the first men and being fascinated by them. Then I remember learning about Christopher Columbus and how he 'discovered' America. I don't remember much on the 'classical' Mediterranean but I'm sure we had a chapter or two. There certainly was nothing of substance on the indigenous of the Americas. Remember Columbus and Hispaniola? No mention of Tainos, Arawakans, and others. The most I remember was learning about more Great Men in History (a concept; I don't recall who wrote first on this), such as all the presidents through Clinton. The texts wouldn't include 9/11 until a year after I finished elementary, if I'm not mistaken. Nothing of critical substance ever came up. No globalization, dependency theory, modernization theory, no Richard Syme, no nothing.

Middle School (sort of intermediary; 'junior high' in some places) [7-8]
--age 11 to 13 (now 10 to 13; used to be age 12 to 14)

When I went, the school only had two grades, not three. In the 7th grade we had "world history" from ice age migrations to classical age to 'dark ages' to medieval Europe to beginning Americas. 8th grade was all about US history. 'Nuff said.

High School (secondary) [9-12]
--age 13 to 18 (formerly age 14 to 18)

9th grade = no history. 10th grade = formerly world history (this is what I had); now european history (a pity, IMO). 11th grade = US history (yay, more of this). 12th grade = no formal history but you can put government and even economics in the same category (if you're into the social sciences). The world history I took used an infamous book that was very much hated by all of us mini-scholars. One word: SPODEK. Teachers of the world, do not use this book when teaching AP World History in the United States; think about the children! US history and later government were similar for me. I was never fond of US history. I learned about how the country works and how it got the way it did, but I never learned about major/minor subversions or interventions by the USA overseas. I didn't learn about any genocides (same with world history), especially of natives. I didn't learn why the Spanish incorporated the natives while the United States-ians drove ours out. And economics never discussed why the US seems to be building up debt as opposed to eradicating it. Y U NO TEACH THIS??

Postscript: I study at a UC now, so if you have any knowledge or notion of what that entails, you know the contrast to the above. Basically, as one of my professors put it, if liberal professors in all the States were to be imprisoned at once, there would be no classes left at the UCs.