In a Japanese school the grade follows the child's age, not the old school's grade
学年は4月1日の年齢で決まる
- Applies to
- All of Japan
- Source last checked
- , Open the Japanese source
- Official source
- 外国人児童生徒のための就学ガイドブック（文部科学省）
When a child joins a Japanese elementary or junior high, the grade is set by age. The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children says children born from 2 April through 1 April of the next year are in the same grade. The grade may not match the grade the child was in before.
The same page says there is no system for skipping a grade in elementary school, junior high, high school, or a special-needs school. A child moves up one year at a time from the year they entered.
If Japanese is not yet enough and the curriculum for that age is not suitable, the guidebook says the child may be placed in a lower grade for a time. Some areas change the assigned school so the child can receive Japanese-language instruction. If a disability is part of the decision, the guidebook says to consult the municipal board about a special-needs school or a special class. This article cannot make that decision.
The municipal board of education is the place to ask before the child starts. The notice of the assigned public school is a separate paper from the ward.
Your child's dates, not the general ones
Add your child and ward. The timeline does the rest.