US Grades vs UK Years vs Irish Classes: School Year Equivalents by Age
What US 1st grade is in England, what Year 7 is in America, and what 5th year means in Ireland. One chart by age for the US, UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia.
A child's year in England and Wales is one number higher than their US grade, because English children start Reception at 4 while American children start kindergarten at 5. So US 1st grade is Year 2 in England, and Year 7 in England is US 6th grade. In Ireland, 6th class matches US 6th grade, and 5th year matches US 11th grade if the student took Transition Year, or 10th grade if not.
"What grade is Year 7?" and "what is first grade in the UK?" are two of the most searched school questions from families moving between countries. The answers trip people up because the numbers look alike and do not line up.
The reason is simple. English children start school a year younger. They begin Reception at 4, while American children start kindergarten at 5. From then on, an English child's year number is one higher than an American child's grade of the same age.
The chart
Rows are by a child's usual age when the school year starts (September in the northern hemisphere, late January in Australia). Each system has its own cut-off date, so a child born near one can land a year either side. That caveat comes up again below.
| Age at start of year | United States | England & Wales | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Ireland | Canada (not Quebec) | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–5 | Pre-K | Reception | P1 | Nursery | Junior Infants | Junior Kindergarten (Ontario) | Pre-school |
| 5–6 | Kindergarten | Year 1 | P2 | P1 | Senior Infants | Kindergarten | Foundation |
| 6–7 | 1st grade | Year 2 | P3 | P2 | 1st class | Grade 1 | Year 1 |
| 7–8 | 2nd grade | Year 3 | P4 | P3 | 2nd class | Grade 2 | Year 2 |
| 8–9 | 3rd grade | Year 4 | P5 | P4 | 3rd class | Grade 3 | Year 3 |
| 9–10 | 4th grade | Year 5 | P6 | P5 | 4th class | Grade 4 | Year 4 |
| 10–11 | 5th grade | Year 6 | P7 | P6 | 5th class | Grade 5 | Year 5 |
| 11–12 | 6th grade | Year 7 | Year 8 | P7 | 6th class | Grade 6 | Year 6 |
| 12–13 | 7th grade | Year 8 | Year 9 | S1 | 1st year | Grade 7 | Year 7 |
| 13–14 | 8th grade | Year 9 | Year 10 | S2 | 2nd year | Grade 8 | Year 8 |
| 14–15 | 9th grade (freshman) | Year 10 | Year 11 | S3 | 3rd year | Grade 9 | Year 9 |
| 15–16 | 10th grade (sophomore) | Year 11 | Year 12 | S4 | Transition Year (optional) | Grade 10 | Year 10 |
| 16–17 | 11th grade (junior) | Year 12 | Year 13 | S5 | 5th year | Grade 11 | Year 11 |
| 17–18 | 12th grade (senior) | Year 13 | Year 14 | S6 | 6th year | Grade 12 | Year 12 |
The exam years
The rows that matter most for a family moving mid-school are the exam years:
- England and Wales: GCSEs at the end of Year 11 (US 10th grade). A levels at the end of Year 13 (US 12th grade).
- Northern Ireland: GCSEs at the end of Year 12, A levels at the end of Year 14. Same ages as England, different numbers.
- Scotland: National 5s in S4, Highers in S5, Advanced Highers in S6.
- Ireland: the Junior Cycle at the end of 3rd year, and the Leaving Certificate at the end of 6th year.
- United States: no national school-leaving exam. The high school diploma is awarded by the school or district at the end of 12th grade.
Moving in the middle of a two-year exam course is the hardest move of all. Year 10 to 11 in England and 5th to 6th year in Ireland are the obvious examples, because the second year assumes the first.
Why each country lines up differently
United States. Kindergarten starts at 5. The cut-off date is set by each state, most often around 1 September, and ranges from 1 August to 31 December. Our compulsory school age by state page lists every state's legal ages.
England and Wales. A school year runs from children born on 1 September to those born on 31 August. Most children start Reception in the September after they turn 4, although full-time education is only compulsory from the term after their fifth birthday.
Northern Ireland. Children who are 4 on or before 1 July start Primary 1 that September. P1 is therefore the same age as Reception in England, and every later year number is one higher: NI Year 8 is English Year 7.
Scotland. A year group runs from 1 March to the end of February, and Primary 1 starts in August. P1 children are aged about 4½ to 5½, so each Scottish year straddles two English ones. The chart aligns P1 with Year 1, which fits children born March to August. Children born September to February are half a year younger and would be in the row above.
Ireland. Children can start primary school from 4 and usually start at 4 or 5, and education is compulsory from 6 to 16. Primary school runs for eight years: Junior Infants, Senior Infants, then 1st to 6th class. Post-primary begins with the three-year Junior Cycle. It is followed by an optional Transition Year and then the two-year senior cycle. That is why "5th year" means 11th grade for a student who took Transition Year and 10th grade for one who did not.
Canada. Most provinces use a 31 December cut-off, so a class holds children born in the same calendar year. Ontario offers Junior Kindergarten at 4 and Kindergarten at 5, and Grade 1 begins in the year a child turns 6. Quebec differs: Secondary 1 to 5 cover Grades 7 to 11, and students then go on to CEGEP instead of a 12th grade.
Australia. The first year of school is called Foundation nationally but has a different name in each state: Kindergarten in NSW and the ACT, Prep in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, Reception in South Australia, Pre-primary in Western Australia and Transition in the Northern Territory. The school year follows the calendar year and cut-off dates differ by state.
Before you move
The chart gives the default. The actual placement is the school's decision, and three things commonly change it:
- The birth month. A child born close to a cut-off date can be placed in either of two years. The more the two countries' cut-offs differ, the more likely this becomes.
- The school's own assessment. Many schools test a new arrival and may place them a year up or down.
- The exam cycle. A school may keep a student back a year rather than drop them into the second half of an exam course.
Ask the school for its placement policy in writing before you commit to a move date.
Sources
- GOV.UK. School starting age and Know when you can leave school.
- nidirect (Northern Ireland). Getting a primary school place.
- Scottish Government. Growing Up in Scotland: early experiences of primary school, Chapter 2: Entry to school.
- Citizens Information (Ireland). Overview of the Irish education system and Starting primary school.
- Education Commission of the States (2025). Free and compulsory school age requirements.