A first year is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry who is new to Hogwarts and in their first year of
magical education. On average, there are around 144 new first
years attending Hogwarts each academic year. Beginning the
magical career Travelling to Hogwarts First years are typically
eleven to twelve years of age, and begin the year by boarding
the Hogwarts Express at exactly 11 a.m. from King's Cross
Station on which they travel to Hogwarts. If they are a
wizarding family and live in Hogsmeade, they do not need to
catch the train. From there, first year students are accompanied
by the Keeper of Keys and Grounds, or another suitable teacher
if they are absent, to a shady path that leads to a fleet of
small boats, which magically sail themselves across the Black
Lake to arrive at a small landing stage near the castle of
Hogwarts; next, they await their turn to get Sorted into their
houses. A teacher takes them to a small room where they await
the Sorting ceremony. The older students ride