School system

Jenny · Oct 24, 2005

Maybe this belongs in research thread, but ... I'd love to have an idea of schooling in different countries.

For instance, being from Australia, I don't have an exact idea of the ages of kids going through American schooling.

Here in West Aus, the system is preschool, primary and high school, and then, way-hoo adult world.

The year kids turn six, they start year one, primary school. The year they turn twelve, they are the big kids of the primary school. Then at thirteen, they enter high school as the baby year eights. High school finishes at year twelve, the year the kids turn seventeen.

It's a bit different in eastern Australia, where the kids are eighteen when they graduate - now, I'm not saying that's cos they're dumber than West Aussies.

Jenny

Sage · Oct 24, 2005

Jenny said:
Maybe this belongs in research thread, but ... I'd love to have an idea of schooling in different countries.

For instance, being from Australia, I don't have an exact idea of the ages of kids going through American schooling.

Here in West Aus, the system is preschool, primary and high school, and then, way-hoo adult world.

The year kids turn six, they start year one, primary school. The year they turn twelve, they are the big kids of the primary school. Then at thirteen, they enter high school as the baby year eights. High school finishes at year twelve, the year the kids turn seventeen.

It's a bit different in eastern Australia, where the kids are eighteen when they graduate - now, I'm not saying that's cos they're dumber than West Aussies.

Jenny

Here, in America, it's not all uniform, but I can tell you what they do in Southern California. Pre-school is optional & a child would be about 3 & 4 for that. A kid usually goes to kindergarten when they turn five.... I'm sorry I can't tell you where the cut-off is for the age, though. There's a specific cut-off day that isn't the first day of school, so that some kids will turn 5 that year & some will turn 6. Kindergarten is usually in the same school as elementary school. My elementary school went K-5. After elementary school, I had middle school, which was 6-8. And then high school was 9th grade thru 12th.

My mom taught at a school that was K-8.

My friend in Idaho had K-6, I think. And then I want to say that she had 7-9, & 10-12. I remember her saying something about not having freshmen. Of course, I could just be confusing her high school w/ Japanese schools (Japanese culture is of interest to me).

My friend in Ohio: when she started, they had K-4 in one building, which they considered elementary, 5 & 6 was middle school, 7 & 8 was junior high, & 9-12 was high school.

Of course, let's not even go into what happens when they start building a new school (in San Diego, at least)....

PrettySpecialGal · Oct 24, 2005

Sage said:
Here, in America, it's not all uniform, but I can tell you what they do in Southern California. Pre-school is optional & a child would be about 3 & 4 for that. A kid usually goes to kindergarten when they turn five.... I'm sorry I can't tell you where the cut-off is for the age, though. There's a specific cut-off day that isn't the first day of school, so that some kids will turn 5 that year & some will turn 6. Kindergarten is usually in the same school as elementary school. My elementary school went K-5. After elementary school, I had middle school, which was 6-8. And then high school was 9th grade thru 12th.
QUOTE]

YEah- it's pretty much the same here in Texas. Some school districts have middle school 5-6, and intermediate 7-8- may even call it the other way (intermediate and then middle). Texas has ISDs- Independent School Districts- although they are somewhat state regulated, a lot of the decisions come from the School Boards that govern over them, rather then a specific state "norm" or "guideline". We do have state testing for general ed students as well as students with special needs- and the state regulatory institution will interfere when necessary- but other then that, the ISDs have conrol over their own schools.

RubyRoo · Oct 24, 2005

In Enlgand it varies. You dont graduate as such. Alot of kids drop out of school at 16 either to work because they have qualifications (GCSE's) or go to college.

3-4= kindergarten (optional)

4-5= reception(start of primary school)
5-6= year 1
6-7= year 2 (SATS-stupid government exams- not compulsary)
7-8= year 3 (start of junior school)
8-9= year4
9-10= year 5
10-11= year 6 (SATS -again!)
11-12= year 7 (start of senior school)
12-13= year 8
13-14= year 9 (SATS-AGAIN!)
14-15= year 10 (GCSE's coursework/some exams)
15-16= year 11 (GCSE coursework/other exams)
16-17=year 12 (start of 6th form) (AS's)
17-18= year 13 (A-levels)

Storyteller5 · Oct 24, 2005

Here's a rough rundown for school in Canada.

Usual starting age in years - Grade
5 - kindergarten
6 - gr1
7 - gr2
8 - gr3
9 - gr4
10 - gr5
11- gr6 (start of junior high in some provinces; not all provs have Jr High; Jr high usually gr 6 to 8 or 9)
12 - gr7
13 - gr8 (start of high school can be gr 7 or gr 8)
14 - gr9
15 - gr10
16 - gr11
17 - gr12

I'm not sure if they still have grade 13 down east.

KimJo · Oct 25, 2005

Even within a state in the US, the schools aren't always the same. Just in Maine:

In the district I grew up in, when I went to school there was a separate kindergarten (beginning at age 5, generally), then elementary school was grades 1-6 (ages 6-11 or 12), junior high was grades 7-8 (age 12-13 or 14), and high school was grades 9-12 (age 14-17 or 18).
Currently, the same district has two elementary schools that are grades K-2 and include something called Step-Up, which is kind of a cross between K and 1st grade that some kids attend at age 6 (and then start first grade at age 7), two elementary schools that are grades 3-5, and a junior high that's grades 6-8. They didn't mess with the high school.

In the district my daughters used to attend, elementary school was grades K-5, middle school was 6-8, and high school was 9-12.
In their current district, elementary school is K-6 and the combined middle/high school is 7-12. (The middle school is technically considered separate from the high school, but they're in the same building and have almost the same administration, just the middle school has its own dean.)

Jenny · Oct 25, 2005

Thanks, everyone.

School system

Jenny

Who should be writing ...

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

PrettySpecialGal

roll, roll, roll in ze hay

RubyRoo

The pretzel in an egg!

Storyteller5

Say something...

KimJo

Outside the box, with the werewolves

Jenny

Who should be writing ...