Middle school

Middle school, (Intermediate/Junior high school) covers a period of education that straddles primary education and secondary education, serving as a bridge between the two. The terms can be used in different ways in different countries. The concept itself dates back to 1909, with the founding of Indianola Junior High School in Columbus, Ohio.

North America

In the United States, middle schools generally include grades 6 to 8 (although they can include just 7 and 8, and a few start as early as grade 4, although that is rare) while junior high schools include grades 7 and 8 or 7 through 9. Many junior highs are designed similarly to high schools. This is meant as a hybrid, to ease the transition from elementary school to high school for students. Sometimes they are called Intermediate schools. The middle school concept, however, often involves a group of four to six teachers working as a team with the same group of students of the same grade level, with each teacher teaching a different subject. This format facilitates interdisciplinary units, where the entire team teaches on the same general topic in all subjects. Sometimes intermediate schools go before middle school, sometimes middle school goes before junior high school, and a few times middle school goes before intermediate school. The middle school format has now replaced schools using the junior high format by a ratio of about ten to one in the U.S.

Related Topics:
United States - High school - Hybrid - Transition - Elementary school

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In Canada, education is managed by each province. Middle schools typically span grades six to eight. Junior high school may include grades seven through nine, or eight through 10. In Ontario, some schools, known as senior public schools, focus on just grades seven and eight (while others run from six to eight). Quebec has its own distinct system divided in école primaire (6 years) and école secondaire (5 years, followed by the Quebec-specific institution of CEGEP, and then university).

Related Topics:
Canada - Quebec - Its own distinct system - CEGEP

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