Middle Schools Around the World

Overview: This text provides an overview of middle schools in different countries, including the concept, regulation, and age range of students.

Middle school is an educational stage that exists between primary school and secondary school in some countries.
The ages covered, concept, regulation, and classification of middle schools vary within and between countries.
In Afghanistan, middle school includes grades 6, 7, and 8, consisting of students from ages 11 to 14.
In Algeria, a middle school includes 4 grades: 6, 7, 8, and 9, consisting of students from ages 11–15.
In Australia, no regions have segregated middle schools, as students go directly from primary school to secondary school.
In Bangladesh, middle school is not separated as in other countries; grades 6-8 are considered middle school.
In Brazil, middle school is a mandatory stage that precedes High School (Ensino Médio) called "Ensino Fundamental II" consisting of grades 6 to 9, ages 11 to 14.
In Canada, the terms "Middle School" and "Junior High School" are both used, depending on which grades the school caters to.
In China, the junior high school is roughly equivalent to an American middle school, and provides the last 3 years of the nine-year compulsory education required for all Chinese citizens.
In France, the equivalent period to middle school is collège, which lasts four years from the Sixième to the Troisième, accommodating pupils aged between 11 and 14.
In India, Middle School is classified as Upper Primary (Class 6–8).
In Indonesia, middle school (Sekolah Menengah Pertama, SMP) covers ages 12 to 15 or grade 7 to grade 9.
In Italy, the middle school lasts three years from the student age of 11 to age 14.
In Jamaica, middle school is called "Junior High School." It is from grade 7–9.
In Japan, junior high schools (chūgakkō) 7th to 9th grade are for children aged twelve through fifteen years old.
In Lebanon, middle school or intermediate school consists of grades 7, 8, and 9.
In North Macedonia, middle school refers to educational institutions.Middle Schools Around the World
Middle schools are educational institutions for students between elementary and high school.
Middle schools generally cover grades 6-8 or 7-9, depending on the country.
In some countries, middle schools are combined with high schools to form a single secondary school.
Middle schools in some countries are called "intermediate schools" or "lower secondary schools."
In some countries, middle schools are divided into different types, such as "gymnasiums" in Montenegro.
In some countries, there are no middle schools, and students attend secondary school for five years.
In the Philippines, middle school education is called "Junior High School" and lasts for four years.
In Poland, middle school (gimnazjum) was disbanded in 2017, and students attend high school after eight years of primary school.
In Spain, middle school education is called "Educación Secundaria Obligatoria" and covers grades 7-10.
In the United Kingdom, middle schools were introduced in the 1960s and 1970s but have largely been phased out in favor of a two-tier system of primary and secondary schools.
In the United States, middle schools generally cover grades 6-8, but some cover grades 7-9 or 5-8.
Middle schools in different countries have different educational structures and curricula, but all serve as a transitional period between elementary and high school.Overview of Middle Schools and Junior High Schools Around the World
Middle schools in England are rare and are often referred to as all-through schools, which are legally considered secondary schools.
Scotland trialled a similar system to England in Grangemouth middle schools between 1975 and 1987, and some schools in Orkney and Shetland are called "junior high school."
Northern Ireland has the Dickson Plan, which consists of attending a primary school from ages 4 to 10, a junior high school from 11 to 14, and a senior high school or grammar school from 14 to 19.
In the United States, elementary schools often include kindergarten to third, fourth, fifth, or sixth grade, while middle schools and junior high schools span varying combinations of grades four or five to seven or eight, or even nine.
The junior high school concept was introduced in 1909 in Columbus, Ohio, with a focus on "bridging the gap between the elementary and the high school."
The new middle school model began in the mid-1960s and is now more prevalent than junior high schools in the US, with a ratio of about ten to one.
Uruguay's public secondary school consists of two stages: the mandatory "Basic Cycle" or "First Cycle" (ciclo básico), which has three years, and the optional "Second Cycle" (bachillerato), which has three years divided into four to seven options.
Venezuela's middle schools (educación media general) are from 7th grade to 9th grade, and some technical schools have an extra grade for those who want to graduate as "Middle technician" in a certain area.
Vietnam's secondary school, or junior high school, includes grades six to nine, and students have to take the national graduating test after finishing grade nine.
Some schools use graduating exam scores and student transcripts to make their decisions, while others require students to take their entrance exams.
Middle schools and junior high schools are organized by academic departments that operate independently of one another.
Middle schools typically have a range of 6th- to 8th-graders, while junior high schools prepare 7th, 8th, and sometimes 9th-grade students for high school.