When reading a book or watching a movie that is set in an American school, I often get confused with the different terminology used across the pond. As somebody who lives in Scotland, I have enough trouble trying to wrap my head around the different names for school years in England, so imagine my frustration when reading about this whole different system in America: Sophomore?, Senior?, Kindergarten?... There are just so many differences. In this article I hope to relieve you of that confusion by providing a vocabulary guide to an American school.

School years: Before I begin to explain the school years, it is important to understand that American schooling is split into three different stages, Elementary school, Middle School/ Junior High and High school. This differs from the British system, which is split into two stages, Primary and Secondary.

Elementary School:

Elementary school is the first stage in a child’s education, it starts in Kindergarten (Year 1/ Primary 2) and ends in the 5th Grade (Year 6/ Primary 7).

Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten 1 is the equivalent of Reception in England or Primary 1 in Scotland. Children are usually 4-5 years old at this point.

Kindergarten or Kindergarten 2 is the equivalent of Year 1 in England or Primary 2 in Scotland. Children are usually 5-6 years old at this point.

First Grade is the equivalent of Year 2 in England or Primary 3 in Scotland. Children are usually 6-7 years old at this point.

Second Grade is the equivalent of Year 3 in England or Primary 4 in Scotland. Children are usually 7-8 years old at this point.

Third Grade is the equivalent of Year 4 in England or Primary 5 in Scotland. Children are usually 8-9 years old at this point.

Fourth Grade is the equivalent of Year 5 in England or Primary 6 in Scotland. Children are usually 9-10 years old at this point.

Fifth Grade is the equivalent of Year 6 in England or Primary 7 in Scotland. This is the final year in both Elementary school in America and Primary School in the UK. Children are usually 10-11 years old at this stage.

Middle School/ Junior High: Middle School or Junior High is the second stage in a child’s education, it begins in 6th Grade (Year 7/ Secondary 1) and ends in 8th Grade (Year 9/Secondary 3) Sixth Grade is the first year in Middle School, it is the equivalent of Year 7 in England or S1 in Scotland. Pupils are usually 11-12 years old at this stage.

Seventh Grade is the equivalent of Year 8 in England or S2 in Scotland. Pupils are usually 12-13 years old at this stage.

Eighth Grade is the equivalent of Year 9 in England or S3 in Scotland. Pupils are usually 13-14 years old at this stage.

High School: High School is the final stage in a student’s education, it begins in 9th Grade (Year 10/S4) and ends in 12th Grade (Year 13/Upper Sixth).

Ninth Grade is often referred to as “Freshman Year” in America, it is the first year of High School (hence the name “Freshman”) and is the equivalent of Year 10 in England or S4 in Scotland. Students are usually 14-15 years old at this stage.

Tenth Grade is referred to as “Sophomore Year”. Sophomore means the second year in university or high school education. Tenth Grade is the equivalent of Year 11 in England or S5 in Scotland. Students are usually 15-16 years old at this stage.

Eleventh Grade is referred to as “Junior Year” and is the second last year in high school. It is the equivalent of Year 12 in England or S6 in Scotland. Sometimes in the UK, this year is called Lower Sixth. Students are usually 16-17 years old at this point.

Twelfth Grade is referred to as “Senior Year” and is the final year in high school. It is the equivalent of Year 13 in England or Upper Sixth in some parts of the UK. Quite often, in the UK, students don’t attend school at this stage and instead go straight into university, college or work or they take a gap year. In America it is used as a sort of gateway to university and adult life. Students are usually 17-18 years old at this point.

I hope that this guide has helped you to better understand the differences and similarities between different schooling systems across the world, so that next time you pick up a book or hit play or a film, you will be better equipped to understand The Language of American Schools.