Secondary education

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:High school students.jpg Secondary education is a period of education which, in most contemporary educational systems of the world, follows directly after primary education, and which may be followed by tertiary, "post-secondary", or "higher" education (e.g., university). In Australia and other countries secondary schools is the official term for institutions offering this period of education. In other parts of the English-speaking world, secondary school is often used synonymously with secondary education.

Secondary school or High school is employed in many educational systems to refer to secondary education. 'Gymnasium' and 'lyceum' are other frequent names in various countries. In some educational systems, secondary schools are literally termed middle schools; the use of this term is not consistent around the world as middle school in some systems refers to the first period of secondary schooling, or alternately, the last period of primary education. College can also refer to secondary schools, or to the first stage of secondary schooling, much like middle school. Preparatory schools or "prep schools" can be secondary institutions, though often include primary levels as well.

The purpose of a secondary education can be to prepare for either higher education or vocational training. The exact boundary between primary and secondary education varies from country to country and even within them, but is generally around the seventh to the tenth year of education, with middle school covering any gaps. Secondary education occurs mainly during the teenage years. Primary and secondary education together are sometimes (in particular, in Canada and the United States) referred to as "K-12" education, (K is for kindergarten, 12 is for twelfth grade).

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Comparison of years of secondary education in different countries

Age*MonthTemplate:Flagicon
New Zealand 		Template:Flagicon
United Kingdom		Template:Flagicon
United States
   England
and Wales		Scotland 
11y2mFebIntermediate
Year 7
(Form 1)		Secondary School
Year 7		 
11y6mSep  High School
Secondary 1
(1st Year)		Middle School
6th Grade
12y2mFebYear 8
(Form 2)		Year 8 
12y6mSep  Secondary 2
(2nd Year)		7th Grade
13y2mFebSecondary
Year 9
(3rd Form)		Year 9 
13y6mSep  Secondary 3
(3rd Year)		8th Grade
14y2mFebYear 10
(4th Form)		Year 10 
14y6mSep  Secondary 4
(4th Year)		High School
9th Grade
15y2mFebYear 11
(5th Form)		Year 11 
15y6mSep  Secondary 5
(5th Year)		10th Grade
16y2mFebYear 12
(6th Form)		Sixth Form
Year 12
(Lower Sixth)		 
16y6mSep  Secondary 6
(6th Year)		11th Grade
17y2mFebYear 13
(7th Form)		Year 13
(Upper Sixth)		 
17y6mSep   12th Grade

*This is a rough average over all students. Individual students are usually with 6 months of this age.

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Secondary education in various countries

Secondary education is referred to by different names in different countries, see education by country.


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See also

Template:Education stagesda:Gymnasium de:Weiterführende Schule fr:Lycée en France nl:Middelbare school ja:中等教育 fi:Lukio sv:Gymnasium zh:中学

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