What grade is a 14 year old in

A child’s early education in Australia consists of kindergarten or early learning starting at either 3 or 4 years old and then primary school starting at age 5 or 6. Education is in general quite standard around Australia, however each state and territory has their own differences to be aware of.

Kindergarten / Early Learning

Kindergarten, also known as kindy, pre-school or early learning, is a structured learning program for children administered by a qualified teaching professional with other children in a group. A four year old kindergarten program is most commonly attended in the year prior to attending school, with many children also completing a three year old kindergarten programs prior to that as well.

Kindergarten programs are offered at various types of facilities. Firstly, kindergartens, which typically run as half day or 3-5 hours sessions for several days per week and are often aligned to the local council or community groups. Childcare and early learning centres which offer full day care program (e.g. full time care, 5 days per week) will also offer kindergarten programs as part of their learning curriculum.

Separate to the above, in Tasmania and Northern Territory, the government has an organised kindergarten program as part of the schooling system, where children attend kinder at the school for around 15 hours per week in the year they are four, then move straight into primary school years thereafter. In addition, some private schools may also offer early learning programs or 3 and 4 year old kinder which are located in the school grounds, with most students then following into the primary year levels in the same school.

Primary School

Primary school is the start of the formal school system and is compulsory for all students to attend. The first year of enrolment into primary school is known by different names in each state and is known as prep (Vic, Qld, Tas), kindergarten/kindy (NSW), pre-primary (WA), reception (SA) and transition (NT, ACT).

Primary school runs for 7 years, with prep or the first year of school essentially being year 0, followed by grades 1 to grade 6. Students then enter high school for a further 6 years of schooling from grade 7 through to grade 12.

Every parent will inevitably ask, when does my child start school? When a child actually start is determined by their date of birth and the cut off dates set by the State or Territory government where the child will attend school. The child needs to be 5 years old before the cut-off date to attend school starting in January of that year, a summary is provided in the table below.

School Age Cut-Off Dates - Australia

Understanding what grade and stage of education your child will be in can be confusing, particularly if you’re unfamiliar with the US system. In this post, we explain your child’s grade and the UK equivalent based on their current age. You can find a table detailing what ages fall into each grade below:

This table has all the information you need regarding grades and year groups at British International School of Chicago, South Loop. This should allow you to determine what year group your child will be in based on their age. For clarification, we take another look at commonly asked questions around the US school system.

At what age do children start school in the US?

Children begin Nursery at the age of three. For the 2022 - 2023 school year, children who turn three after September 1, 2022 may still enroll in the Nursery program. However, they will need to repeat Nursery with their age-appropriate cohort the following year. 

Children must be four years of age by August 31 to enter Reception. All children need to be potty trained prior to starting school. 

How old are you in Primary School? 

Kindergarten and grades 1-5 make up Primary School. All children ages 5-11 will study at Primary School before moving onto Middle School. 

What age are you in Middle School?

Middle school is shorter than Primary School, covering grades 6-8. Children start Middle School aged 11 and leave aged 14. Children are aged 14-18 during their time at High School. 

How old are you in High School? 

High school is where students study their IGCSEs and the International Baccalaureate with British International School of Chicago, South Loop. 

Parents will find everything they need to know about age requirements and grades on this page. If your child is looking to join our family of over 70 schools, you can find more details about admissions right here.