For International Families

英語版
English Version

Before You Enter
Japanese Elementary School(Education System Edition)

WhatWhat happens
happens after
after youyou enter
enter elementaryelementary school?
school?
In most international families, both the parents and the children are experiencing
Japan's education system for the ﬁrst time. In Japan, students choose forthemselves what path they should take after they graduate from middle school. In
order to continue to high school, students must take high school entrance exams.
Only those who pass these exams may enter high school. This costs money;
students need to study regularly and prepare ﬁnancially to pursue their desired
educational path. Parents and children need to prepare together.
If your child is about to enter elementary school, what path awaits themafterwards?
★Please also see the “Lifestyle Edition,”,“Learning Edition,”, and “Education Funding Edition”.

Japan’s Education System
Age on 4/1
Mannenrei(see note)

Day CareSchool Year

0-1

0-1

1-2

1-2

Young Class

Kindergarten

4-5

Middle Class

5-6

Older Class

Integrated Center for Early
Childhood Educationand Care

6-7

Elem. Year 1

7-8

Elem. Year 2

8-9

Elem. Year 3

9-10Elem. Year 4

10-11

Elem. Year 5

11-12

Elem. Year 6

12-13

Mid. Year 1

13-14

Mid. Year 2

14-15

Mid. Year 3

15-16

High. Year 1

16-17

High. Year 2

17-18

High. Year 3

18-19

Univ. Year 1

19-20

Univ. Year 2

20-21

Univ. Year 3

21-22

Univ. Year 4

3-4Young Class

4-5

Middle Class

5-6

Older Class

Most elementary students start their education
at public schools. Many move to private schools
as they advance to high school and university.

Elementary School

Breakdown of Enrolled Students
Elem.

MiddleHighUnivPrivate middle school
entrance examsMiddleSchoolUniversity

GraduateSchool:
Master's
CourseGraduate
School:DoctoralCourseProfessional
Training CollegeJuniorCollegePublicPrivate

参考：令和２年度学校基本調査(文部科学省)

Upper Secondary
Specialized
Training SchoolHighSchoolNational

College of Technology

Some univ.
departments have
6-year programs.

During compulsory
education, students
may not repeat
grades or skip grades.

Integrated Middle & High Schools

Compulsory Education
There is an entrance examination.

3-4▲ Learn about highschool entrance exams

Too Young

2-3

2-3
Preschool
Education“Day Care” isa place forchildren who
need carebefore they
enter school.

Those who wantto keep studyingmove on tograduate school.

☆The above chart shows the most common organization ofschool years. The school year begins in April and ends inMarch.
☆Students born from 4/2 of one year through 4/1 of thefollowing year are placed in the same grade.
☆Mannenrei is a method of counting age where you are 0years old the day you are born, and then your age increasesby 1 year on each subsequent birthday.

At a college of technology, you gain
technical/engineering expertise in industrial or
maritime ﬁelds.

At an upper secondary specialized
training school or professional
training college,
you learn the knowledge and skills
needed for a job.

▲Scan thisto learn more

Some students work while going to highschool on a part-time or correspondence
course basis.

Most high school students attend school full time.
Most of them take the “general course” track,
but there are also specialized (vocational) andintegrated tracks.

Breakdown of Enrolled Students
TypeCourse Track
FullPartCorresp

GeneralSpecializedIntegrated

参考：令和２年度学校基本調査(文部科学省)

～ Let’s Talk About School! ～● People you see at school have lots of diﬀerent jobs!
Many teachers and oﬃce employees work atschool each day. For example, every school has aprincipal, a vice-principal, a head teacher for each
grade, homeroom teachers, and a school nurse.
There are many other types of teachers and schoolstaﬀ who work where they are needed. You may see
nutritionists, club advisors, school counselors, schoolsocial workers, assistant language teachers, librarysupervisors, cooks, janitors, and more. All of themwork for the children at school in their own ﬁelds ofspecialty.

● In Japan, the ﬁrst term starts in April!
Things like when the school year begins and how we calculate children’s ages may
be diﬀerent in Japan than in your home country. In most countries, the school year
starts in September. But in Japan, it starts in April. Each year when students advancea grade, there is a “class shuﬄe” when students’ homeroom teachers, classrooms,and classmates all change. Thus, the beginning of the ﬁrst term each year brings adrastic change in children’s environments.
Depending on an elementary or middle school’s local government, the school year
may be divided into either semesters (2 terms) or trimesters (3 terms).

● In elementary schools, classes are usually taught by homeroom
teachers!
In Japanese elementary schools, the homeroom teacher teaches most subjects. In
the middle schools, each subject is taught by a diﬀerent teacher who specializes inthat subject.
However, there is a plan to begin phasing in the middle schools’ “subject teachersystem” for ﬁfth and sixth graders in elementary school.

愛知教育大学外国人児童生徒支援リソースルーム〒448-8542 愛知県刈谷市井ヶ谷町広沢 1 TEL：0566-26-2219
e-mail：gendaigp@auecc.aichi-edu.ac.jp FAX：0566-26-2566
愛知教育大学

リソースルーム

イラスト協力：古屋柚

森嶋純菜

山田優花