Schooling around the world

Compiled by Chilman Sahni

USA grade system

American children have 12 years of schooling. They start at five and the first year at school is called kindergarten. The grade system begins in the second year with first grade (six year olds) and continues to twelfth grade (18 year olds). In high schools, years have names instead of numbers: ninth grade is known as freshman year, tenth as the sophomore year, eleventh as the junior year and twelfth as the senior year.

UK Public Schools

In Great Britain a public school is a fee-paying school that is independent of the state. The term public was invented by the famous public school Eton College to emphasize that any one (provided they could pay) could attend. In other English- speaking countries, a public school is one paid for and governed by the state. In Britain the schools which other countries call public schools are called state schools.

Time spent at school

Schoolchildren in China spend more time at school than children in any other country. They have 251 schooldays a year – 59 days more than British children, and 71 more than American children.

In the United kingdom, the United States , France, Canada, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand children have 10, 11 or 12 years of education. In most African countries and parts of South America children spend just 5 or 6 years at school. Only two African countries Gabon and Tunisia, have 10 years of compulsory schooling.

In Italy and China, children can legally finish school at the age of 14. In Myanmar, Angola and Pakistan, children are allowed to finish at the age of nine, after only 4 or 5 years at school. In several European countries, including Croatia, Denmark, Sweden and Swiitzerland, parents don’t have to send their children to school until they are 7 years old - 2 years later than in many other countries.

Largest school

The largest school in the world is the City Montessori School in Lucknow, northern India; it has more than 27,000 pupils.

1