Jr. High or Middle School?

[dez1978]

I wonder how many are left where it's voluntary. They switched it here about 20, 25 years ago. It's required. It was not free when it was voluntary, as in, you couldn't get it in the public schools. You had to pay for it at a private facility, usually a church or a day care facility.

When I was a kid, preschool was not offered thru the school so you had to pay if you wanted your kid to attend somewhere. Our school offers it, 4 days a week, 1/2 days and it's free. Also our kindergarten is full days where when I went it was 1/2 days. I wonder if all public schools have switched to full day K.

Oddly, at my kids school, 6-8th is middle school, but only 7 & 8th can play middle school sports. Everything below 7th is a youth sports thing that may use the schools name, but isn't paid for by the school. Like football, there is a youth football program, which has a 3/4th team and 5/6th team. We are called the Bulldogs, get to play and practice on the high school field, and wear the school colors. But it's all paid for by parents and fundraising and the coaches are all dads. Same with wrestling, except the school doesn't have a wrestling team until high school.

 

[Skywalker3]

This has all totally changed, but I went to junior high in south Louisiana, but now, it's middle school, and middle school here in TN. When and where I went to were divided really oddly
the junior high was 7-10, and the high school was 10-12. Where you went to 10th grade depended on a few things. You could go to the high school for 10th if you were in sports, honors, certain programs, etc. otherwise, 10th at the junior high. it was weird. As far as I know, it's all changed now there, and high school is 9-12, middle is 6-8, etc. Middle school here in TN in our county is 6-8 at all of the schools, except we do have a few K-8 schools. high school all 9-12 in our county.

 

[disneychrista]

When I was in elementary school (in Orange County Ca):
Elementary was K- 6
Jr. High 7-8
High School 9-12

When we moved to Nor Cal it was:
Elementary K-6 or K-3 for one school.
Middle School 6-8 or 4-8, with 4th & 5th in self contained classes
High School was 9-12

When my kids went to school, same NorCal district
Elementary K-5 or 6, 6th grade could choose to stay at elementary or move to middle school in self contained class expect PE & elective.
Middle School 7-8 with 6th grade on campus & one campus being 5-8 with 5th & 6th self contained.
High School 9-12

 

[Mrs.AMC]

When I was a kid, preschool was not offered thru the school so you had to pay if you wanted your kid to attend somewhere. Our school offers it, 4 days a week, 1/2 days and it's free. Also our kindergarten is full days where when I went it was 1/2 days. I wonder if all public schools have switched to full day K.

Oddly, at my kids school, 6-8th is middle school, but only 7 & 8th can play middle school sports. Everything below 7th is a youth sports thing that may use the schools name, but isn't paid for by the school. Like football, there is a youth football program, which has a 3/4th team and 5/6th team. We are called the Bulldogs, get to play and practice on the high school field, and wear the school colors. But it's all paid for by parents and fundraising and the coaches are all dads. Same with wrestling, except the school doesn't have a wrestling team until high school.

What I've experienced is, when it was voluntary, it was anything from half day to full day but when it went to required and in public schools it was full day just like 1-12. K was no different at all. Well, there was 1 difference, they are given a phase in day the first week. For 1 week, there are only 5 kids sent 1 day each. This is for both the teacher and the kids to get a chance to know each other with fewer kids around that first day. After that, it's a normal full day of school, all day, every day. From what I saw, K learned what used to be taught in 1st grade, and so forth from there.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

I would've thought my state required it, but apparently not. They have to offer half day, but that's it? I went to kindergarten at the town elementary school 30 years ago.

That's interesting. Required to offer it for free but not required to attend. Odd concept. I mean, I think it's a good thing, more attend when it's free I'm certain but it makes you wonder, why not just take the next step and require attendance.
Wonder why a state wouldn't want to require attendance if they implemented the requirement to offer it?
I can understand states not wanting to require it if they don't want to fund it but if you are funding it, well, it does benefit to attend, doesn't it?

 

[Moliphino]

That's interesting. Required to offer it for free but not required to attend. Odd concept. I mean, I think it's a good thing, more attend when it's free I'm certain but it makes you wonder, why not just take the next step and require attendance.
Wonder why a state wouldn't want to require attendance if they implemented the requirement to offer it?
I can understand states not wanting to require it if they don't want to fund it but if you are funding it, well, it does benefit to attend, doesn't it?

I've been Googling. The state requirement is that all children must start school by 6 (which is generally first grade), but 425 hours of kindergarten must be provided by all public school districts and be made available to all children. My school district does full day kindergarten, so I guess we go above and beyond.

 

[Simba's Mom]

It appears that only 19 states require students attend kindergarten. https://www.ecs.org/kindergarten-policies/

I checked Massachusetts, since that's where we lived when my kids were kindergarten aged. The listing implied that there's no set mandate one way or another. Yet, as I remember, it was assumed that everyone went to kindergarten. I never heard of a kid in our town who didn't go to kindergarten. Is it still that way there?

 

[RangerPooh]

Me- junior high grades 7-8
My kids- middle school grades 5-8

 

[tvguy]

I checked Massachusetts, since that's where we lived when my kids were kindergarten aged. The listing implied that there's no set mandate one way or another. Yet, as I remember, it was assumed that everyone went to kindergarten. I never heard of a kid in our town who didn't go to kindergarten. Is it still that way there?

Here in California, I sure don't recall any of my friends not going to kindergarten, but that was way back in 1962. It was half day.
It was different with my kids in that they were in a private daycare situation at the age of 3 that included some components of kindergarten at a much younger age. Their kindergarten was a full day session. That was 1992 for my oldest.
My wife grew up in Texas, and Kindergarten was optional. She got expelled after a week! Family tradition apparently, because her dad also got expelled from Kindergarten in Texas. Neither were ready apparently.

 

[disneychrista]

My wife grew up in Texas, and Kindergarten was optional. She got expelled after a week! Family tradition apparently, because her dad also got expelled from Kindergarten in Texas. Neither were ready apparently.

How do you get expelled from Kindergarten.

 

[Caseheidi]

Don't know if it is true, but I was told that Middle School is 7-8, and Jr. High is 6-8 or 7-9. But basically it is the same thing to me!

 

[tvguy]

How do you get expelled from Kindergarten.

My FIL says he got kicked out because the teacher "wanted us to sing, I wanted to dance".
As for my wife, I have no idea what she did other than the Nuns (it was a Catholic school) told her parents "not to bring her back". I gather my in laws didn't have their heart set on her being in Kindergarten and since it was optional, they didn't question why, just it wasn't for her.

 

[GreatLakes]

It depends on the cities around here. The city I grew up in had elementary schools K-6, Junior Highs 7th and 8th, and high school. The one I live in has elementary k-5, Middle 6-8, and high school. My son is in a private school that is k-8 and I also attended a private school for 1-8. They don't really make a distinction as far as the name goes, you are just in school. There are differences in days once you get to the older grades but it is all the same building.

Public K is half day here with many districts offering full day at an added cost but they have limited enrollment so you have to basically enter a lottery, at least in the districts I'm aware of. Some may have free full day as well.

 

[clori]

I attended public kindergarten in one state which at the time had a 12/31 cut off to start kindergarten. I moved to NH which did not have public kindergarten (some cities did but not statewide - it was the last state to require public kindergartn in 2009) and 1st grade had a cut off before I turned 6 so they wouldn't let me start 1st grade for another year even though I had already done a full year of k. They even told my parents even if I was a genius it didn't change my birthdate. Then I went to a private k for a few months at someone's house until something happened medically and the teacher quit/retired. I got to bring my desk home as did all the kids.

In my state compulsory age for school is 6 but supposedly entry point is k so technically a kid can start at 6 but not guaranteed to start in 1st if they start late. No clue in reality because everyone I know starts based on birthday near me no redshirting. When my kids started k it was full day only but some towns were still half day or half day free with an option to pay for full day.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

Here (Australia) we have 13 years of school. Primary School - Prep/Foundation, Grades 1-6. Then Secondary School/High School - Years 7-12. Kindergarten is a separate thing and optional. They offer 3 year old and 4 year old kinder. Most would do some form of 4 year old kinder which can be a few hours 3-4 days a week depending on the kindergarten. Not everyone does 3year old kinder which is usually a couple of hours 2-3 days a week.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I wonder how many are left where it's voluntary. They switched it here about 20, 25 years ago. It's required. It was not free when it was voluntary, as in, you couldn't get it in the public schools. You had to pay for it at a private facility, usually a church or a day care facility.

I checked Massachusetts, since that's where we lived when my kids were kindergarten aged. The listing implied that there's no set mandate one way or another. Yet, as I remember, it was assumed that everyone went to kindergarten. I never heard of a kid in our town who didn't go to kindergarten. Is it still that way there?

Massachusetts is "quietly optional". Full day is provided free by all the towns around here, and I think most people assume it is required.

But when I homeschooled my niece and nephew during the pandemic, it turned out I didn't have to file a lesson plan because K isn't actually mandatory. (I still followed one, of course. - I was a substitute teacher for many years, and knew what I needed to cover with them. But I certainly didn't mind not having to do extra paperwork!)

Years ago when my now-grown DS was starting school, kindergarten was half-day. And come to think of it, I do think there was one little girl in his first grade class who hadn't been.

 

[Kittyblue]

Our different districts name them differently, depending on the grades that attend.

6-8 middle school
7-8 junior high

 

[Boopuff]

Where I grew up (Illinois) elementary K-5, jr. high 6-8, high school 9-12 moved to Colorado and here we have (what I like to call, mega schools) these are preK-8 then high school

 

[Moliphino]

I checked Massachusetts, since that's where we lived when my kids were kindergarten aged. The listing implied that there's no set mandate one way or another. Yet, as I remember, it was assumed that everyone went to kindergarten. I never heard of a kid in our town who didn't go to kindergarten. Is it still that way there?

That's what I had been looking at, too (I realize now I never actually said what state, just "my state"). I was surprised it wasn't required, since it seems most kids have been going since I was a kid 30 years ago.