Secondary education in Japan

Secondary education in Japan is split into junior high schools (中学校 chūgakkō), which cover the seventh through ninth grade, and senior high schools (高等学校 kōtōgakkō, abbreviated to 高校 kōkō), which mostly cover grades ten through twelve.

Although it is possible to leave the formal education system after completing lower secondary school and find employment, fewer than 4% did so by the late 1980s.

[1] The minimum number of school days in a year is 210 in Japan, compared to 180 in the United States.

Classroom organization is still based on small work groups, although no longer for reasons of discipline.

Other popular sports clubs include tennis, basketball, gymnastics, Judo and volleyball.

In every sport, many games are held between schools and at the regional level, so students have opportunities to compete.

[5] Some junior high schools encourage students to take academic ability tests such as the STEP Eiken for English or the Kanji kentei for Japanese.

Students in the highest grades of elementary, junior high, and senior high schools also take trips lasting up to several days to culturally important cities such as Kyoto and Nara, ski resorts, or other places such as Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa and Hokkaido.

These clubs are an important chance for students to make friends and learn social etiquette and relationships like the senpai/kohai dynamic.

Upper-secondary schools are organized into departments, and teachers specialize in their field of study although they teach a variety of courses sharing a more general discipline.

Teaching depends largely on the lecture system, with the main goal being to cover the curriculum.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) recognizes a need to improve the teaching of all foreign languages, especially English.

In the last few years, several school boards in Japan have relied on ALTs (Assistant Language Teacher) from private dispatch companies.

[17] Experts disagreed over the specific causes of these phenomena, but there is general agreement that the system offers little individualized or specialized assistance, thus contributing to disaffection among those who can not conform to its demands or who are otherwise experiencing difficulties.

These students, particularly if they have been overseas for extended periods, often need help in reading and writing — and in adjusting to rigid classroom demands.

Among noteworthy changes is the requirement that male and female students take a course in home economics.