Relocation services for British Columbia, Canada

School grades explained

School years are divided into grades, starting at Kindergarten and moving through to graduation in Grade 12.

Your child’s age at the end of the year (December 31st) determines the grade that they will normally go into, though this may be adjusted somewhat if your child's circumstances require. Children begin school in the year they become five. Use the table below as a starting point for determining which grade your child will be in.

Age at Dec 31st	Grade
5	Kindergarten
6	1
7	2
8	3
9	4
10	5
11	6
12	7
13	8
14	9
15	10
16	11
17	12

Schools

The most usual arrangement is that there are schools:

• Kindergarten to Grade 3
  Ages 5-8
• Elementary School
  Grade 4 to 7 (ages 9-12)
• Secondary (High) School
  Grade 8 to 12 (ages 13-17)

Some areas have Middle Schools for Grades 6-8. In these areas the students transition between Elementary and Secondary school via the Middle school.