Here is a general pattern, with variations noted below. The ages I give are average in my experience, but it's common for a student to be a year older or younger than listed. Also, most kids will have a birthday some time during the nine-month school year; these are ages at the start of the year. Preschool (optional): Age 4. -Elementary School- Kindergarten: Age 5 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade: Age 6-10 -Middle School- 6th, 7th, 8th Grade: Age 11-13 -High School- 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th Grade: Age 14-17 In some schools, elementary school includes sixth grade; where that happens, seventh and eighth grades are called junior high school. (The terms "middle school" and "junior high school" are more or less interchangeable.) Occasionally, one also finds ninth grade grouped into junior high, in which case high school is only three grades, but you don't see that much nowadays. After high school, many students continue to a two- or four-year college. The most common goals at a two-year college (also known as a "junior college" or "community college") are to earn an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree (AA or AS); or to complete general courses before transferring to a four-year institution. At a four-year college (or a university consisting of several colleges), students generally earn a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree (BA or BS); in graduate programs, they can also obtain Masters' degrees and doctorates. College and high school share some vernacular for referring to students in a particular year. First-year students in either one are "freshmen," second-year "sophomores," and the third and fourth "juniors" and "seniors" respectively. Students of the first two grades are also called "lowerclassmen," and the others "upperclassmen." For colleges only, there are also the terms "graduate" and "undergraduate" (referring to students who have or have not yet completed a four-year degree, respectively). Finally, students interested in law or medicine almost always complete an additional few years at a specialized school to prepare for certification in their fields. And after that--really, don't we all continue learning throughout our lives? ; )

"TheGreatOne: Good answer! What comes after school though? I have heard expressions like freshman,sophmore, and so on" What comes after high school is college. Terms like freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior describe what year a student is in within a four year course of study. These terms are usually applied only to high school and college courses of study. A freshman is in his first year of study in the program (grade 9 in HS), sophomore = second year (HS grade 10), junior = 3 year (grade 11), and senior = fourth/last year of study (grade 12). Note that the grade designation only applies to high school, but the terms are used in college as well. Also if the high school is only a three year school (grade 10-12), then there will be no freshmen at that school.