Junior high, year 1 (中学1年)

Junior high, year by year: the subjects, the hours, and how the marks are made

中学校の学年別の教科・標準授業時数と評価のしくみ

Subjects multiply and each gets its own hours, English lessons are taught mainly in English, and marks come from tests, classwork and how your child takes part.

Ask the teacher: Which subject is my child finding hardest this term, and what would help at home?

Junior high in Tokyo: regular tests, the report card, clubs, and the three-way meeting

中学校の定期考査・評定・部活動・三者面談

Regular tests are one piece of evidence for the 評定 (subject grade), which families call 内申 (report-card marks), and the grade also weighs classwork and attitude to learning.

Ask the teacher: Besides tests, what do you look at for my child's grade in this subject?

The "chū-ichi gap" (中1ギャップ): what the research institute found, and what to watch

「中1ギャップ」の真実（国立教育政策研究所）と学年別の不登校

The research institute's leaflet warns that the troubles blamed on the 中1ギャップ often begin before junior high, even though the ministry's figures show 不登校 (not attending school) jumping in the first year.

At home: Your child stops mentioning classmates by name, or says there is no one to talk to at break.

Ask the teacher: How is my child settling in, and who do they spend time with?

When a child stops going to school: the places, the attendance rule, and who decides

不登校の相談先と出席扱い

The ministry says 不登校 is not misconduct: the school is asked to make a plan with you, there may be a quiet room in school, and days at a support centre can count as attendance.

At home: Your child is slow to leave on Monday mornings, stays in their room after school, or stops going out with friends.

Ask the teacher: If my child misses days, which room in school can they use, and how will you keep in touch?

Sleep and the daily rhythm by age: the national sleep guide and the 早寝早起き朝ごはん campaign

こどもの睡眠時間の目安と「早寝早起き朝ごはん」

Club practice, a longer school day, homework and a phone in the bedroom push junior-high bedtimes later, and the national guide gives the hours a teenager still needs.

At home: Your child sleeps until midday at weekends to catch up, or cannot get up on weekday mornings.

Club activities (部活動) are moving to the community: the national guideline, the hour limits, what it costs

部活動の地域展開（部活動改革及び地域クラブ活動の推進等に関する総合的なガイドライン）

Many first years join a 部活動 (school club), and a national guideline now caps practice hours, sets rest days, and moves weekend activity to community clubs that may charge a fee.

At home: Your child is exhausted every evening, or dreads practice because of how older members treat them.

Ask the teacher: How often does the club practise, and who runs it at weekends?

School rules (校則): what the 2022 national guidance asks of schools, and how to raise a rule

校則の運用・見直し（生徒指導提要 令和4年改訂）と保護者からの相談

Junior highs set written 校則 (school rules) on uniform, hair and belongings, and the ministry's revised guidance asks schools to publish them, explain why each exists, and review them with students and parents.

At home: Your child is told off again and again over hair, uniform or belongings, and comes home angry or ashamed.

Ask the teacher: Where can I read the school rules, and how can students and parents ask for a change?

Phones, games and social media by age: what the national survey shows and what schools allow

年齢別のスマホ・ゲーム・SNS（青少年のインターネット利用環境実態調査と学校の持込みルール）

Junior high is when most children carry a phone of their own, the school sets its own rule on bringing it in, and class life carries on in group chats after school.

At home: Your child is tired every morning and the phone stays in their room at night.

If you think your child is being bullied, the school has to look into it

いじめ防止対策推進法で学校がすること

In a new school with new groups, bullying happens in group chats as well as in class, and the school must have a way to report it and must look into what you tell them.

At home: Your child asks for more money than usual, comes home with damaged things, or avoids walking with classmates they used to walk with.

Ask the teacher: Who should I contact if I think my child is being bullied, and what happens after I tell you?

Japanese-language lessons at a public school: the special curriculum and how to ask for it

日本語指導が必要な児童生徒の「特別の教育課程」

取り出し (pull-out Japanese lessons) can continue in junior high, and they can cover subject lessons pitched at your child's Japanese, not only the language itself.

Ask the teacher: Can my child's Japanese lessons cover the subjects, and who teaches them?

Tokyo private junior-high fees, and the Reiwa 8 tuition grant

都内私立中学校の初年度納付金と令和8年度授業料軽減助成金

If your child started at a Tokyo private junior high, the first-year bill is behind you, and the Tokyo tuition grant is a separate application you make yourself.