Nice easy one for you guys. What ages correspond to what grades in the US school system?

Grade 1 is about 6 or 7, high school (9th grade) is 14 or 15, and you’ll graduate high school (12th grade) at 17 or 18.

Elementary can be K through 5th (or 6th)
Junior high (Middle School) can be 6th through 8th (sometimes 9th)
High School can be 9th (or 10th) to 12th

@Les is right on for ages

It also depends the time period you entered school. (e.g. Late or Early)

I went to 1st grade when I was 6.
Started Middle School when I was 11.
High School I’m 14 and I’ll probably graduate when I’m 17.

Wow. All those 80’s teen movies are making sense.

Second question. Whats sophomore mean?

K (5–6); 1 (6–7); 2 (7–8); 3 (8–9); 4 (9–10); 5 (10–11); 6 (11–12); 7 (12–13); 8 (13–14); 9 (14–15); 10 (15–16); 11 (16–17); 12 (17–18)

Having just been through this school system, these are the most common ages. Since I was born in late August, I was always the first of the two ages on the list for the entire school year, but most people not born in the summer start with the first age listed and turn the second age during the school year. Some people born in the fall can start school even younger and be 4–5 in Kindergarten, 5–6 in first grade, and it just gets shifted down one age. I only know a small group of people who did that. I’ve only gone to school in California and Nevada but I’m pretty sure it’s the same throughout the country.

* Plus or minus one *
Elementary: 5
1st Grade – 5th Grade: 6 – 10
6th Grade – 8th Grade: 11 – 13
Freshman – Senior: 14 – 17

Sophomore is 10th grade in HS

@Lightlyseared 10th grade

Freshman = 9th grade
Junior = 11th
Senior = 12th

@Tink1113 & @se_ven cheers

@Lightlyseared Sophomore also refers to 2nd year in college (same pattern with Freshman through Senior)

Cheers guys, all these movies make a little more sense now, I asked because my wife is currently watching ‘17 Again’ (yes I told her it was a movie aimed at pre-teen girls)

In most U.S. schools, September 1st is a cut-off date for birthdays.

Most kids start in Kindergarten. They can start as early as 5 years old if their birthday is before September 1st.

Throw in the conventional wisdom now that boys mature socially slower than girls, and many parents are now holding their kids back a year just to be safe.

—

So the youngest ages are usually:
K = 5
1st = 6
2nd = 7
...
11th = 16
12th = 17

But, for boys especially, there’s increasing likelihood of:
K = 6
1st = 7
2nd = 8
...
11th = 17
12th = 18

@robmandu

That’s interesting. The cut-off date in California is December 1st. I have a friend who’s birthday is 11/21/91 and he’s in my grade. My parents could’ve waited another year for me to start, that would’ve been an awful idea…lol

@DominicX, I’ve even heard of some parents holding their kids back not for social or academic reasons… but just so that the kid could be 1 year physically larger. Especially as an aid for sports later in school.

I fear that’s somewhat tragic… but maybe it’ll work out for them.

What’s the age/grade system over there Denver?

@robmandu

Too much emphasis on sports… :\ People get way too into it. I do think sports are important, but I know some parents who obsess over it. Not good in my opinion.

Not only was I younger than everyone else, I was also smaller than everyone else. And still am. But I always liked it. :)

@Sarcasm they’ve changed it since I was at school so I’m not quite sure.

Back in my day each school had it’s own grades, known as years, so as you moved from junior to secondary school you went back and started at the 1st year again. Some districts also had Middle school which took the last 2 years from Junior and the first 2 years from Secondary School, so in one of these areas you would start secondary school in the 3rd year.

I digress, a secondary school years went

1st year – age 11–12
2nd year – age 12–13
3rd year – age 13–14
4th year – age 14–15
5th year – age 15–16 at this point you could leave school if you so wished
Lower 6th – 16–17
Upper 6th – 17–18

The last two years there, known as the 6th Form were optional, most people in the 6th Form did 3 A Levels, I did mine in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

I went to a 6th Form College to do mine though, not a secondary school.

I hate to admit it, but this movie ‘17 Again’ isn’t all that bad.

Actually, if the cut off is September 1st, as it is where I live, you might even be 19 upon graduation. My son will turn 19 about 2 weeks into his senior (last) year of high school.

I had a friend in kindergarten who was 4 years old and only turned 5 at the end of the school year (June). His parents wanted to be a year ahead in life and it worked out beautifully for him. I don’t know that all 4 year olds could handle kindergarten though.

Some schools are changing the first grade age to keep the kids out of school longer, so they can close some of the schools, and fire a lot of the teachers.

It seems the Federal Government has allocated some early education money to the preschool level, so the longer the State of California can keep kids in the preschools, the more money they can save.

It stinks, I have a July birthday and was always the same age throughout the school year. Aways younger than the rest. So, I would have turned 18 right after graduating high school.
I’ve looked up the requirements in my local scool districts, and it seems my son will have to start a year later than I did. It’s silly though, he’ll be a year older than everyone else.

@DominicX gave a great run down of the grades.

@casheroo – My daughter, too, has a July birthday. However, she loves lording it over her friends as the youngest senior in the school.