How long does a school year last in Germany?
Academic term
In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn and ends during the following spring or summer. In Northern Hemisphere countries, this means that the academic year lasts from August, September, or October to May, June, or July. In Southern Hemisphere countries, the academic year aligns with the calendar year, lasting from February or March to November or December. The summer may or may not be part of the term system.
School bus by country
In Germany, students travel to school on scheduled public train and bus routes. In most cases, these services operate at times to suit school hours and are not run during weekends and holiday periods, though the services are open to use by non-school-related travellers. Local authorities subsidise the routes but parents or guardians are required to pay a contribution to the cost of a season ticket for use of the services. Many scholars use their own bicycles to travel to school and may take these with them when a part of the journey is by train.
Education in Germany
In 2005, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that a federal law prohibiting tuition fees was unconstitutional, on the grounds that education is the sole responsibility of the states. Following this ruling, seven federal states introduced tuition fees of €500 per semester in 2006 and 2007. Due to massive student protests and a citizens' initiative which collected 70,000 signatures against tuition fees, the government of Hesse was the first to reverse course before the state election in 2008; other state governments soon followed. Several parties which spoke out for tuition fees lost state elections. Bavaria in 2013 and Lower Saxony in 2014 were the last states to abolish tuition fees.
Academic term
In South Korea, the school year is divided into two terms. The first term usually runs from March 2, unless it is a Friday or the weekend, to mid-July with the summer vacation from mid-July to late-August (elementary and secondary schools) and from mid-June to late August (higher education institutions). The second term usually resumes in late August and runs until mid-February. The winter break is from late December to late January. There are two weeks of school (elementary and secondary schools) in February. Then there is a two-week-break before the new academic year starts in March.
Academic year
For English state schools, the year commences in the first week of September with a half-term break (1 week) at the end of October, and the term ends shortly before Christmas. After a two-week holiday encompassing New Year, the second term stretches to Easter and is of variable length to allow for that movable feast. It has a half-term break around mid-February. There are two weeks of Easter holiday, then the final term starts and lasts until the third week of July. The half-term break is at the end of May and students with exams will often finish their studies at that break and take exams during June and July.
Ninth grade
Ninth Grade in Spanish is called 3º de ESO (tercero de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria), as it is the third year of the compulsory secondary education. Students are usually 14–15 years old. Secondary school in Spain has a four year duration. Students in Spain generally start secondary school at the age of 12, and finish at the age of 16. The school year starts in September and lasts until the next year in June.
Education in East Germany
The beginning of the school year was September 1 unless that day was a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, then school started the following Monday. The school year always had 38 weeks of classes with 30 weeks covered by the nationwide unified curriculum.
INTEC Education College
A-Levels Germany started off as an Edexcel A-Level course for JPA scholars destined to do Engineering in Germany. The A-Level German Programme (ALG) was specially developed by UiTM Section 17 Campus and the State of Baden Württemberg Germany, in 1995 It is conducted in INTEC (International Education Centre) Shah Alam, a branch of UiTM. The Edexcel A-Levels course is modular, with 6 units (papers) per subject. 
Students sit for the main A-Level papers (Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics) at the end of the first 2 years. There are 5 semesters consisting of 6-month periods each (total 2.5 years). 
Now, ALG students undergo the CIE Cambridge A-Level course for 1.5 years. A-Level Germany students also have to take language tests like the German language tests (the Cambridge AS-Level German test and the DSH German test). Total duration of the ALG course is 22 months and intake is in May.
Academic term
The school year in Germany begins between late July and early September, and ends from mid-June to July, with a summer break of similar length to that in the UK (only 6 weeks) but much shorter than in some other countries (with up to 3 months). The summer vacation starts in a different week by state (there are 16 federal states including Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen). The school year includes four or five shorter breaks or holidays:Due to Germany's federal structure, all breaks may differ depending on the state. The exact dates for the beginning and the end of school breaks are kept different state by state and changed every year. This is meant to keep holiday traffic as low as possible.
Academic term
The school year coincides with the calendar year, and the first term begins on January 2 (unless it is a weekend or a Monday). The school year comprises four terms of 10 weeks each.Terms 1 and 2 are known as Semester 1, and terms 3 and 4 as Semester 2. to accommodate the release of the O level results.
School holiday
Summer holidays in State schools are usually between five and seven weeks long, starting in mid-late July and ending in early September. Schools have Christmas and Easter holidays, each usually lasting about two weeks. The school year is split up into three sections: Autumn term (between Summer and Christmas); Spring term (between Christmas and Easter); and Summer term (between Easter and the Summer holiday). Roughly half-way through each term, pupils will get one week off school, known as half-term. Half term often falls the week of Halloween and close to Firework Night (however this has not been the case of late) in the Autumn term, the February half term tends to also fall the week of Valentine's Day, also half term in the Summer term tends to be at the end of May with students returning the first Monday of June.
Education in Germany
The responsibility for the education system in Germany lies primarily with the states ("Länder"), while the federal government plays a minor role. Optional Kindergarten (nursery school) education is provided for all children between one and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory. The system varies throughout Germany because each state ("Land") decides its own educational policies. Most children, however, first attend Grundschule from the age of six to eleven.
Volksschule
In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primary ("Grundschule" and "Primarschule", respectively) and lower secondary education ("Hauptschule" or "Sekundarschule"), usually comprising a mandatory attendance over a period of nine years. In Austria, "Volksschule" solely is used for primary school from Year One to Year Four. In the Nordic countries they are referred to as "Folkskolen" and in Finnish, in a direct translation, as "Kansakoulu"; these schools covered the first years of primary education, from the ages of 7 to 11 or 12.
School holiday
The dates for the start and the end of the school year at both primary and post-primary level are not fixed, but mid-year breaks are standardised. Due to the start of certificate exams, post-primary schools are usually not open for tuition after the Friday before the June public holiday (the first Monday in June) in any year. The school year generally starts in the week in which September 1 falls, with a minimum of 183 teaching days in primary schools but only 167 days in secondary schools.
Diplom
The duration of the "Diplom" degree programmes differed depending on subject and university. An official average duration ("Regelstudienzeit") was set by law in each German state, usually being four years for a "Diplom (FH)" and 4, 4.5 or 5 years for a "Diplom / Diplom (Univ.)". In exceptional cases, universities were allowed to set longer average durations for certain subjects (HGRP1995 § 26 (3), NHG2007 § 6 (3), HmbHG2001 §53 (3)). However, due to the curriculum set by most universities in Germany, the 4, 4.5 or 5 years for a "Diplom / Diplom (Univ.)" were often exceeded.
Although being a first degree, because of its actual duration, the "Diplom / Diplom (Univ.)" was and is in Germany not considered as an equivalent to a bachelor's but rather to a master's degree, as also expressed by the equivalent ECTS credits for the "Diplom / Diplom (Univ.)".
Academic term
In most schools, summer break usually lasts for two months, starting from the first week of April up to the last week of May. Most schools end the school year before Holy Week. Semestral break is normally set to coincide with All Saints and All Souls Day. The Christmas Break usually begins in the third week of December, and classes resume the Monday or week after New Year's Day (unless that Monday is January 2). Commencement ceremonies are often held in late March or early April.
Academic term
The New Zealand school year runs from the beginning of February to mid-December, and since 1996, has been divided into four terms. By law, all state and state-integrated schools are required to be open for instruction for 380 half-days in a year (390 half-days for schools with only Year 8 students or below), meaning that the start and end of the school year is not nationally fixed to a particular date, as schools take different teacher-only days and provincial anniversary days off during the year. Schools can be exempted from opening the required number of half-days in some cases, such as in Christchurch in 2011 when many schools closed for up to a month after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The breaks between terms have fixed start and end dates, and the break length is fixed at two weeks.
Education in Mauritius
The school year consists of thirty nine weeks, divided into 3 terms of thirteen weeks. For Secondary schools 1st Term is from 12 January to 6 April, 2nd Term from 23 April to 20 July and 3rd Term from 13 August to 1 November. For Primary schools the 1st Term is from 12 January to 6 April, 2nd Term from 23 April to 20 July and 3rd Term from 20 August to 9 November.
List of secondary education systems by country
The educational year begins in February and finishes in December, often having July as a break; institutions are permitted to define their own actual start and end dates. They must, however, provide at least 200 days of classes per year.
Academic term
In Scotland, academic and judicial institutions traditionally organised their year around the Scottish term days, the traditional divisions of the Scottish legal year:The school year in the United Kingdom is generally divided into three terms running from autumn to summer. For state schools, the school year consists of 195 days of which there are 190 teaching days and five INSET teacher training days. For independent schools, the school year can be as short as 175 days. The structure of the school year varies between the constituent countries of the United Kingdom with school holiday dates varying between local education authorities.
Education in Hamburg
In October 2009, the Hamburg Parliament voted for an act to change this system with the start of the educational year 2010/11. The "Grundschule"—primary school of 4 years education from the age of 6 to 10—would be changed into a "Primärschule" (lit. primary school), lasting 6 years. This would be followed by a so-called location or quarter school () with certificates, like the Abitur after 13 years of education. The Gymnasium will offer the Abitur after 12 years. Pupils could enter the "Stadteilschule" or the "Gymnasium". Parents would no longer be allowed to choose if their child should apply for a Gymnasium. Only those children whose primary school teachers state that the child would make a successful transition into a Gymnasium would be allowed to apply. The act also states that no more than 25 pupils are allowed in classes of the primary school, 20 in so-called difficult quarters, and not more than 28 in a "Gymnasium" class. This decision was criticized by factions of the SPD and The Left.
Education in Germany
Since 1998, all German states had introduced tuition fees for long-time students ("Langzeitstudiengebühren") of €500 up to €900 per semester. These fees are required for students who study substantially longer than the standard period of study ("Regelstudienzeit"), which is a defined number of semesters for each degree program. Even after the abolition of general tuition fees, tuition fees for long-time students remain in six states. Additionally, universities may charge tuition fees for so called non-consecutive master's degree programs, which do not build directly on a bachelor's degree, such as a Master of Business Administration.
School holiday
In Mexico, school usually ends in the second week of July and resumes the third week of August depending on what scheduling system a school uses, and whether it is high school or college. Christmas holiday is 2 weeks. Also there is the Easter recess which lasts 2 weeks.:]
Primary education
The first school for German children is called Grundschule. It takes usually four years, the pupils are between six and ten years old. The education consists of learning to read, write, basic math and general knowledge. In some schools, a first foreign language is introduced, usually English. In the final year of primary school, children receive a recommendation as to which further school they can attend.Depending on the recommendation they received from their teacher, children proceed to their mandatory secondary education in either Hauptschule (Grades 5-9, sometimes 10th grade is added which is then called "Werkrealschule"), Realschule (Grades 5-10), or Gymnasium (Grades 5-12). Upon the successful completion of Grades 11 and 12 in the Gymnasium, students receive the Abitur, a diploma with the permission to enter post-secondary education (similar to the A-level or High School Diploma). The Abitur will not be received at the end of Haupt- and Realschule, but graduating students are eligible to enter the 10th Grade of the Gymnasium if they wish to obtain the Abitur.
Education in Japan
The school year in Japan begins in April and classes are held from Monday to either Friday or Saturday, depending on the school. The school year consists of two or three terms, which are separated by short holidays in spring and winter, and a six-week-long summer break.
School holiday
In the United States, there are typically 180 school days in a year (although school years at colleges and universities are often shorter). Private schools tend to have classes for 170 days each year.
"Note:" Often in Charter Schools breaks are shorter due to the extended number of days students spend in school (200 days vs. 180 days for standard public schools).
Psychology of education
There is substantial evidence to suggest that education influences intelligence. One study took advantage of the school system in Germany to investigate the relationship between education and intelligence. The children in the sample were required to be 6 years old before they started the school year on April 1, so it was possible to compare children who were of a similar chronological age, but had a year’s difference in schooling. They gave intelligence tests to 8-10 year olds whose birthdays fell just before or just after the dividing point. Their results showed the 8 year olds who had received an extra year in school were closer in intelligence to the 10 year olds who were a year behind, than the 8 year olds who were a year behind. This shows how education can positively affect intelligence. It is important to note, however, that the tests used were heavily loaded with questions that tested material that was learned in school. Further findings of the study showed that the differences in intelligence between the groups was particularly prominent in the tests which included a lot of school learned material. More fluid tests of intelligence, which included less class taught material, were less effected by the year of extra schooling.
School holiday
In Estonia, summer holidays last for three months from June to August. Christmas holidays last for two weeks, autumn and spring holidays are each one week. In 2016, the Estonian Ministry of Education decided to add a new holiday, starting from 2017, to balance the learning weeks. There are going to be 5 holidays: Autumn holiday (21- 29 October), Winter Holiday (23 December- 7 January), a new holiday (24 February- 4 March), Spring holiday (21 April- 1 May) and Summer holiday (12 June- 31 August). Summer break starts 1 week later.
Education in Brazil
The length of the school year is set by the National Education Bases and Guidelines Law ("Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação") to at least 200 days. Elementary schools must provide students with at least 800 hours of activities per year. The school calendar is set by individual schools which, in rural areas, often organize their calendars according to planting and harvesting seasons.
International years of science
The slogan "Together on the road to knowledge" was the motto of the German-Chinese Year of Science and Education 2009/10, which took place from March 2009 to June 2010. German and Chinese players in science, education, politics and society came together at more than 200 events, workshops and delegation visits, which included the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting with young Chinese research talent in attendance, and the BMBF's participation in events jointly organized by Germany and China in Shenyang and Wuhan on the topic of "sustainable urban development" during the campaign “Germany and China – Moving Ahead Together" (DuC), which attracted more than 300,000 visitors each. In addition, students and scientists gathered information on further activities of the Science Year, about German education and research institutions and research funding opportunities. In Germany the first ever “China Weeks” were held at 47 German universities to provide information about the partner country to the public and to draw attention to the potential of German-Chinese cooperation in higher education and research. A film contest was also launched during the Science Year. The BMBF provided funding worth some two million euros to German research projects with a focus on China. Key areas of the cooperation included cutting-edge research on climate, energy and health issues, as well as activities in the areas of vocational training and higher education. The first and second German-Chinese intergovernmental consultations (2011: Berlin; 2012: Beijing) raised cooperation between the two countries to a new level. In total, seven joint declarations on education and research topics were signed during the intergovernmental consultations. The range of topics in the cooperation between the BMBF and China in the higher education sector (students, graduate students, scientist exchanges, universities) and in vocational education and training was addressed in joint activities in various research disciplines such as innovation research, life sciences, environment/ecology, LED technologies, geosciences, marine research or cultural heritage.
Summer vacation
In Nigeria, primary and secondary Schools usually start Summer vacation in mid-July and resume in the early weeks of September. The vacation is also known as the "3rd-term holiday" and it is the longest break in a school year (typically up to two months). The "first-term break" starts between one and two weeks prior to Christmas and ends the first or second week in January, lasting for about three weeks. The "first-term break" is usually the shortest break in a school year. The "second-term break" usually starts a week before Easter and lasts for another three weeks. This gives a total of about 14 weeks of holiday in a year. The geographical location of the school is also a factor.
German Swiss International School
In line with most German states, the German Secondary Department offers an eight-year Gymnasium course. The curriculum is based on the core curriculum of German schools in Southeast and East Asia, which in turn is based on the curricula of the state of Thuringia.
School holiday
Schools are off for two weeks after their academic year ends(contrary to the summer vacations between two academic years in the south.) The new academic year starts on 1 April.
School holiday
The school year is divided into semesters. The first semester runs from late February or early March to July. Following a two-week or three-week winter break school resumes and lasts until early or mid December, followed by 10–12 weeks of summer vacations. In addition, schools have a one-week-long break for National Holidays in mid-September. Being located in the Southern Hemisphere, Spring begins approximately at the end of this holiday week so it acts similarly to the American Spring break.
Kolleg
A Kolleg (German from Latin "collegium") in Germany is a three-year school of adult education, preparing students for the exams leading to the general university entrance qualification, the "Abitur (Allgemeine Hochschulreife)".
Education in Russia
The school year extends from September 1 to end of May and is divided into four terms. Study programme in schools is fixed; unlike in some Western countries, schoolchildren or their parents have no choice of study subjects. Class load per student (638 hours a year for nine-year-olds, 893 for thirteen-year-olds) is lower than in Chile, Peru or Thailand, and slightly lower that in most states of the United States, although official hours are frequently appended with additional classwork. Students are graded on a 5-step scale, ranging in practice from 2 ("unacceptable") to 5 ("excellent"); 1 is a rarely used sign of extreme failure. Teachers regularly subdivide these grades (i.e. 4+, 5-) in daily use, but term and year results are graded strictly 2, 3, 4 or 5
List of secondary education systems by country
The German school system is free and attendance is compulsory for all children until 9th grade. After the "Grundschule" (primary/elementary school lasting four, in some states six years), teachers recommend each student for one of three different types of secondary school. Whether this recommendation is binding or can be overruled by parents depends on the state.
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
In Germany, "Bachelor of Science in Information Technology" integrates a professional degree in information technology with a major in another country or culture and its language, enhancing professional training and career options. The course is of three to five years duration. Students spend two semesters of study at a university or other higher education institution in the country of their major.
Education in Norway
The school year in Norway runs from mid August to late June the following year. The Christmas holiday from mid December to early January historically divides the Norwegian school year into two terms. Presently, the second term begins in the beginning of January.
School holiday
In the Czech Republic, the summer holidays begin at the end of the school year around June 30 and end at the start of the school year on September 1 or soon thereafter. Then there are autumn holidays: two days plus October 28 (the date of the proclamation of Czechoslovakia). The winter (Christmas) holidays last usually from December 23 to January 2. There is also a one-day half term holiday on January 31. The spring holidays are a week long and may occur in February or March, depending on the region, sometimes they continue with Easter holidays (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday). There are also free days such as May 1, May 8 and September 28. The school director is authorised to add up to three more free days during the school year. The school holidays are determined by the Ministry of Schools for each school year and are valid for every basic and high school.
Bucerius Law School
The three-and-a-half-year LL.B. program is divided into ten trimesters. After its completion, students focus on preparation for the German First Judicial Examination (the regular law degree) in order to be admitted to legal traineeship. The entire program lasts 4.5 to 5 years and includes a mandatory trimester or semester abroad.
Helmut Schmidt University
In contrast to the semester format usually practised in Germany, a year at the HSU is divided into 3 terms (trimesters) which means that it consists not of a winter and summer semester, but of autumn, winter and spring terms, 3 blocks of 3 months each. There are no classes in the summer quarter (1 July – 30 September). This period may be used for performing required periods of practical training and internships, and for holidays.
Education in Germany
Students have about 30-40 periods of 45 minutes each per week (depending on year and state), but especially secondary schools today switch to 90 minutes lessons ("Block") which count as two 'traditional' lessons. To manage classes that are taught three or five lessons per week there are two common ways. At some schools teaching 90 minutes periods there is still one 45-minute lesson each day, mostly between the first two blocks; at other schools those subjects are taught in weekly or termly rotations. There are about 12 compulsory subjects: up to three foreign languages (the first one is often already taken in primary school, the second one beginning in 6th or 7th grade, another is taken somewhen between 7th and 11th grade), physics, biology, chemistry, civics/social/political studies, history, geography (starting between 5th and 7th grade), mathematics, music, visual arts, German, PE and religious education/ethics (to be taken from primary school on). The range of offered afternoon activities is different from school to school however, most German schools offer choirs or orchestras, sometimes sports, theater or languages. Many of these are offered as semi-scholastic AG's ("Arbeitsgemeinschaften" – literally "working groups"), which are mentioned, but not officially graded in students' reports. Other common extracurricular activities are organized as private clubs, which are very popular in Germany.
There are three blocks of lessons where each lesson takes 45 minutes. After each block, there is a break of 15–20 minutes, also after the 6th lesson (the number of lessons changes from year to year, so it's possible that one would be in school until 4 o'clock). "Nebenfächer" (= minor fields of study) are taught two times a week, "Hauptfächer" (=major subjects) are taught three times.
Akshara School
The academic year of the school is from June to April with short vacations: one in September/October and the other in December/January. The academic year is divided into three terms — June to September, October to December, and January to April. School is in session for approximately 220 days each year. The medium of instruction is English.
Summer vacation
In the school year 2016–2017 the summer break for Saudi Arabian students started from 24th of May till the 17th of September. This means it will be 110 days, 3 Months and a half. In 2018-2019, schools will end in May 13th and start early September, this is because the Ministry of Education wants students to finish school before Ramadan begins.
University of Freiburg
As common among German universities, the academic year consists of summer and winter terms (semesters). The winter term runs from October 1 to March 31, while the summer term runs from April 1 to September 30. However, lectures and classes usually do not run for the full duration of these periods and allow for breaks in spring and fall.
Education in East Germany
National service was 18 months for males between the age of 18 and 26. Often prospective students were intimidated into serving 3 years as NCO in order to begin university early.
Education in Taiwan
The school year consists of two semesters. The fall semester begins in early September and runs till late January or early February. Winter vacation typically runs from two to three weeks around the Lunar New Year. Spring semester begins following the Lantern Festival in mid February and ends in early June. From middle school on, many schools hold "optional supplementary classes" during winter and summer vacation as well as after normal school hours. Despite the name, in many cases participation is compulsory. The language of instruction is Mandarin.
Christelijke Hogeschool Ede
A bachelor programme requires four years of full-time study (240 credits). The academic year starts September 1 and finishes the next following year on August 31. The calendar year has four periods of academic activity, which end before the summer holiday in the month of July. During the summer holiday no formal instruction is given. At the end of August, students can catch up on the work that has yet to be completed and resit for exams. During each academic period of ten weeks, students visit classes the first six to seven weeks. The remaining weeks are used for other types of educational activities, including preparing for exams.
Realschule
In most states of Germany, students start the "Realschule" at the age of ten or eleven and typically finish school at the age of 16–17. In some states, "Realschulen" have recently been replaced by "Oberschulen" or "Sekundarschulen".
In 2006 1.32 million German students attended a "Realschule".
Gymnasium (Germany)
Traditionally, a pupil attended gymnasium for nine years in western Germany. However, since 2004, there has been a strong political movement to reduce the time spent at the gymnasium to eight years throughout Germany, nowadays most pupils throughout Germany attend the gymnasium for 8 years (referred to as G8), dispensing with the traditional ninth year or "oberprima", which is roughly equivalent to the first year of higher education. Final year students take the "abitur" final exam.
School holiday
School holidays in the United Kingdom follow a standard pattern, with a school year of 190 days of teaching, beginning with the Autumn Term, but the exact timing varies between countries and counties. Local authorities set term dates which apply to all Community, Voluntary Controlled, Community Special Schools and Maintained Nursery Schools. Academies, Free schools, Voluntary Aided schools and Foundation schools are able to choose their own dates but many follow the same dates as the Local Authority. Although these schools can set their own term dates, they are still required to open for the same length of time. Independent private schools tend to set longer holidays than state schools.
Academic term
The school year in Scotland generally runs from middle or late August to late June or early July of the following year (usually in eastern council areas from the third Monday in August to the first Friday in July and in western council areas from the second Monday in August to the last Friday in June). Most schools operate a three-term school year, each term divided in half by a break known as 'mid-term', lasting a week or two in October, a few days to a week in February, and a few days in May. The terms are structured as follows:The terms are separated by two holidays each consisting of approximately two weeks: the Christmas Holidays separating the autumn and spring terms, and the Easter holidays separating the spring and summer terms. The period between the end of one school year and the start of the next is known as the summer holidays and consists of six or seven weeks.
Education in the Czech Republic
The school year starts on the first weekday of September and ends on the last weekday of June. It is divided into two semesters with exams at the end of each. Usually, the first semester runs from 1st September to January 30th, and the second from February 1st to June 30th, separated by a one-day break and the summer holidays. The actual dates, along with holidays and breaks, are announced by each school individually and may vary slightly.There is also Children's Day on 1 June, which is not considered a holiday, but children are usually taken on (school) trips (one day or more) and other cultural activities.
Education in Zimbabwe
Education in Zimbabwe is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for primary and secondary education and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development for higher education. Both are regulated by the Cabinet of Zimbabwe. The education system in Zimbabwe encompasses 13 years of primary and secondary school and runs from January to December. The school year is a total of 40 weeks with three terms and a month break in-between each term.
Academic term
The academic year at universities also starts on September 1 and usually consists of 42 educational weeks and 10 weeks of holidays. It is divided into two terms (semesters). The first one (autumn semester) runs from September 1 to January 24/25 (21 weeks, including a 3- to 5-week winter exams session at the end) followed by a two-week holiday. Coincidentally January 25 is also "Tatiana Day", traditionally celebrated as Russian Students Day. The second one (spring semester) runs from February 9 to June 30 or July 4/5 (21 weeks, including a 3- to 5-week summer exams session) followed by an eight-week summer holiday. Some Russian universities do not use a traditional scheme: they exclude exams sessions, and the academic year is divided in a 2:3 ratio of 17 educational weeks (followed by a two-week holiday) and 25 educational weeks (followed by an eight-week summer holiday).
School holiday
In Austria, the summer holidays are usually between early July and early September. There is, with the exception of Vorarlberg and Salzburg, no Autumn break but there is a Christmas break (from December 24 until January 6) and an Easter break (lasts for 10 days). The mid-term break in February lasts for a week and the Whitsun break lasts for 4 days including the weekend. There are also days off during religious holidays (Assumption, Ascension, Corpus Christi etc.).
Education in Bulgaria
The curriculum of Bulgarian Educational system focuses on eight main subjects: Bulgarian language and literature, foreign languages, mathematics, information technologies, social sciences and civics, natural sciences and ecology, music and art, physical education and sports. The school year starts on September 15 and ends in May or June, depending on the grade level of the students. The school year is divided into two terms with Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays. Students usually spend half a day in school; with many schools operating in "shifts": either in the morning or in the afternoon, although younger students usually study in the morning. In some elementary schools there is the option of extended care, where students spend the other half of the day in school preparing their homework under the supervision of a teacher, upon the request of parents.
Summer vacation
In the Netherlands, summer vacation is about 6 weeks for primary school and High school, usually from mid-July to late August. School students officially get the same time off but there often is a one-week period before the vacation during which the student will only have to go to school for 2 days to receive their grade lists and bring back their books making the holiday 7 weeks unofficially for high school students. However, this does not apply to every school.
Education in the Republic of Ireland
Holidays vary depending on the school. Generally primary and secondary get similar holidays. The year is broken up into three terms: from the first week of September or last week in August to the week before Christmas. From the week after New Year's Day to the week before Easter Sunday and from the week after Easter Sunday to the end of May/Start of June. For 1st, 2nd and 5th Year secondary school students, their term finishes in the last week of May as they do not have state exams. Some schools allow Transition students to finish even earlier than 1st 2nd and 5th Years as they don't have any Summer Examinations. There is a mid-term (one week off halfway through a school term) around the Halloween bank holiday, two weeks off for Christmas: generally the last week in December and the first week in January, another mid-term in February, two weeks off for Easter and summer holidays. Bank Holidays are also taken off. Primary schools usually have July and August off, while secondary schools have June, July and August off except for 3rd and 6th Years sitting State exams in the first three weeks of June.
Year
There are typically 180 days of teaching each year in schools in the US, excluding weekends and breaks, while there are 190 days for pupils in state schools in Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and 200 for pupils in Australia.
Diplom
At the time of the Bologna process, schools in most German states started changing from 13 school years to 12 years. (An exception are the states of Saxony and Thuringia, where Gymnasium has always lasted only 12 years ever since the German Reunification.) Most of the students going for a "Diplom" therefore spent 13 years in school before starting their university studies, while the younger Bachelor students nowadays may start one year earlier. (However, in some states, such as Rhineland-Palatinate or Schleswig-Holstein, the first class which completes school after 12 years will graduate as late as 2016.) Regarding international comparison, one may argue that British, Irish and French high school students have school also in the afternoons which could compensate with the (former) additional year of school attendance in Germany.
Note: For the Diplom (FH) a student has to spend one to two obligatory semesters during his studies in a company. These semesters are included in the table. The study time is therefore one to two semesters shorter. Bachelor studies have them included in the table too. For the Diplom (Universität) those semesters are sometimes not included in the table.
Education in Romania
School starts in the beginning of September and ends in the beginning of June the following year. It is divided into two semesters (September to January and February to June). There are four holiday seasons 3 weeks in December–January; Intersemestrial vacation 1 week at the start of February, spring (previously Easter) in April – 2 weeks; and summer, spanning from the 1st to 20 June to September 10 to 15), with an additional free week at the end of October for students in the first 4 years. Additionally, during the week before the spring holiday, special activities (e.g. trips, contests) replace classes. This week is known as "săptămâna altfel".
American Association of Teachers of German
For over 50 years, the Federal Republic of Germany, through the German Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and its Pedagogical Exchange Service (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst), has provided the AATG/PAD Study Trip Awards, a 3-4 week trip to Germany in the summer following the Exam. Students attend classes at an academic high school, stay in homestays, and participate in various excursions to places of cultural significance. The initial selection process takes place through the AATG National German Exam: Those students who score at or above the 90th percentile and meet eligibility requirements are informed that they can apply for the Study Trip Award. Of those who apply, two candidates are selected from each state by the AATG Chapter committee: Award 1, a sophomore or junior, and award 2, a senior. These candidates' applications are then sent to the National AATG Selection Committee, which makes the final decisions.
Education in Chile
The school year is divided into semesters. The first semester runs from late February or early March to early July. Following a two-week winter break school resumes and lasts until late November or early December, followed by summer vacations.
Preuss School
Preuss uses a different schedule from most schools to make room for all the courses offered. Both the school year and school day are longer than normal. The school year is 198 days (compared with 180 days for traditional schools), and the school day is 396 minutes (compared with an average of 360 minutes for traditional schools). As a result, Preuss' annual instruction time is 74,669 minutes compared to SDUSD's average of 64,800 minutes. Preuss uses a block schedule that calls for four classes to meet on Monday and Wednesday ("A" day) and the other four to meet on Tuesday and Thursday ("B" day). Fridays rotate between the two "A" and "B" days. Each block lasts 90 minutes which is 30 more minutes than the average school.During its early years, Preuss ran on a trimester system to match that of UCSD. In 2006, the school switched to a semester system.
Academic term
In elementary and secondary schools, the school year in some part is April to March and others June to May, while in universities it is from July to May. There is a mid-year break during summer, usually from the end of May to the start of July in universities and in elementary and high schools, the vacations range from the beginning of April and last up to the beginning or middle of June. There is also a winter vacation of two weeks at the beginning of the year. However, in the Eastern and southern states like West Bengal and Karnataka there will be two breaks, one for Dasara in September/October for 15 days and another for Christmas in December which ranges from 7 to 15 days. A semester system is being implemented in most of the universities in India as directed by the University Grants Commission.
Education in China
Children usually entered primary school at seven years of age for six days a week, which after regulatory changes in 1995 and 1997 were changed to five and a half and five days, respectively. The two-semester school year consisted of 9.5 months, and began on September 1 and March 1, with a summer vacation in July and August and a winter vacation in January and February. Urban primary schools typically divided the school week into twenty-four to twenty-seven classes of forty-five minutes each, but in the rural areas, the norm was half-day schooling, more flexible schedules, and itinerant teachers. Most primary schools had a five-year course, except in such cities as Beijing and Shanghai, and later other major cities, which had reintroduced six-year primary schools and accepted children at six and one-half years rather than seven.
Gymnasium School No. 1 (Isfana)
The school year extends from the beginning of September to the end of May and is divided into four terms. The school curriculum at Gymnasium School No. 1 is fixed: unlike in some Western countries, schoolchildren cannot choose what subjects to study. Students are graded on a five-step scale, ranging in practice from 2 ("unacceptable") to 5 ("excellent"); 1 is a rarely used sign of extreme failure. Teachers regularly subdivide these grades (i.e. 4+, 5-) in daily use, but term and year results are graded strictly 2, 3, 4, or 5.
School holiday
In Denmark the summer holiday lasts 6–7 weeks. Most schools also have one week of winter holiday and one week of autumn holiday, usually in February and October respectively. Finally, the schools are closed from just before Christmas until just after New Year.
Academic term
In Cambodia the school year kindergarten sectors in public schools consists of 10 months with a two-month vacation, while in primary, and secondary sectors, it is divided into two semesters and each semester is divided into 2 quarters. The first of November is the start of the academic term. After the 1st semester, a small vacation when the school is halted and at the end of the Second Semester, a 2-month vacation until the start of the new year. In universities, it is divided into 4 years.
Academic term
The school year in Russia traditionally starts on September 1 ("The Knowledge Day"). The school year is divided into four terms (quarters), separated by one- or two-week holidays (the first week in November, the first two weeks in January, and the last week of March). The summer holiday lasts three months: June, July, and August. Generally the school year lasts until 25 May, which is also known as "The Last School-Bell" day celebrated by the graduates, their families and teachers. The school graduation ceremony - "Graduation Evening" () - is organized on June 20–25.
Apprenticeship
After graduation from school at the age of fifteen to nineteen (depending on type of school), students start an apprenticeship in their chosen professions. Realschule and Gymnasium graduates usually have better chances for being accepted as an apprentice for sophisticated craft professions or apprenticeships in white-collar jobs in finance or administration. An apprenticeship takes between 2.5 and 3.5 years. Originally, at the beginning of the 20th century, less than 1% of German students attended the Gymnasium (the 8–9 year university-preparatory school) to obtain the Abitur graduation which was the only way to university back then. In the 1950s still only 5% of German youngsters entered university and in 1960 only 6% did. Due to the risen social wealth and the increased demand for academic professionals in Germany, about 24% of the youngsters entered college/university in 2000. Of those, who did not enter university many started an apprenticeship. The apprenticeships usually end a person's education by age 18–20, but also older apprentices are accepted by the employers under certain conditions. This is frequently the case for immigrants from countries without a compatible professional training system.
School holidays in the United States
In the United States , the academic year typically has about 180 school days for K-6, running from the early (Northern Hemisphere) fall to early summer. Colleges and universities often have shorter years. School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which schools are closed.
Academic term
In Poland, the school year begins on September 1 and ends on the first Friday after June 18. There is a Christmas break in December which lasts until after New Year's Day. There is also a winter holiday break lasting two weeks in January or February but the exact date is different for each voivodeship and the dates usually change each year. Winter break is also the dividing line between the two semesters of the school year.
Academic term
There are some holiday breaks:There are two semesters in the Thai academic year with an optional summer semester. From kindergarten to high school, the first semester opens in mid May and continues until the end of September. The second semester lasts from November until the end of February (or early March). The university academic year is slightly different, lasting from June to October and mid November to mid March.
Academic term
The Austrian school year for primary and secondary schools is split into two terms, the first one starts on the first Monday in September in the states of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland and on the second Monday of September in Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Most schools have holidays between the national holiday on October 26 and All Souls Day on November 2, but those are unofficial holidays not observed by all schools in Austria. Christmas holidays start on December 24 and end on the first weekday after January 6. The first term ends in Vienna and Lower Austria on the first Friday of February, in Burgenland, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg on the second Friday of February and in Upper Austria and Styria on the third Friday of February.
Education in Germany
Some special areas provide different paths. After attending any of the above schools and gaining a leaving certificate like Hauptschulabschluss, Mittlere Reife (or Realschulabschuss, from a Realschule) or Abitur from a Gymnasium or a Gesamtschule, school leavers can start a career with an apprenticeship at a Berufsschule (vocational school). Here the student is registered with certain bodies, e.g. associations such as the German Bar Association Deutsche Rechtsanwaltskammer GBA (board of directors). During the apprenticeship, the young person is a part-time salaried employee of the institution, bank, physician or attorney's office. After leaving the Berufsfachschule and passing the exit examinations set by the German Bar Association or other relevant associations, the apprentice receives a certificate and is ready for a career at all levels except in positions which require a specific higher degree, such as a doctorate. In some areas, the apprenticeship scheme teaches skills that are required by law, including certain positions in a bank or those as legal assistants. The 16 states have exclusive responsibility in the field of education and professional education. The federal parliament and the federal government can influence the educational system only by financial aid to the states. There are many different school systems, but in each state the starting point is always the Grundschule (elementary school) for a period of four years; or six years in the case of Berlin and Brandenburg.
Bachelor of Science
In Germany the BA normally lasts between three and four years (six to eight semesters) and between 180 and 240 ECTS must be earned.
Chicago Futabakai Japanese School
As of 1986, in Japan, the Ministry of Education requires domestic schools to offer a 40-week school year, with six instructional days per week, making a total of 240 instructional days per year. The Japanese school year begins in April, and terminates in March. As of 1998, corresponding to the beginning of the Japanese school year, the Futabakai school year begins in April. Unlike domestic Japanese schools, Futabakai has to schedule separate Saturday schools, so it offers 200 school days per year for day school students. As of 1986, in order to qualify for state aid, Illinois public schools were required to have classes in session for at least 180 days, including teacher institute days. As of 1992 Futabakai has a day school year of around 200 days, while area public school students had a school year of 187 days. Both the Futabakai and American systems had an equal number of hours devoted to educational instruction. Students, as of 1998, have about ten weeks per year where they do not attend school. As of 1986, instead of having one large summer vacation, students have smaller intermittent vacations throughout the school year. As of 1990 holidays include traditional Japanese holidays and a holiday after the end of the school year.
School holiday
In Sweden, the school year starts around mid or late August (September 1 at the universities). The week before All Saint's Day (taken as a Saturday around November 2) primary and secondary school students have an autumn holiday. Christmas holiday starts around December 15–16, depending on the day of the week on which Christmas Eve occurs. It usually ends in the second week of January (January 6 is also a public holiday). In the 8th–10th weeks after New Year, primary and secondary school students have one week of winter vacation; the exact week varies by location. Easter public holidays last four days from Friday to Monday. Easter school holidays are either the week preceding Easter or the week immediately following, depending on location. Primary and secondary school summer holidays last about ten weeks, starting in the second week of June.
Academic term
In the elementary and high schools in the Czech Republic, the school year usually runs from September 1 to June 30 of the following year.
Student migration
Since January 2005, Germany has issued singular permits for both residence and employment in an effort to attract international students and skilled migrants to the country and facilitate their arrival. Overseas students are also eligible to apply for an extension on their residence permit for up to one year for the purpose of seeking employment which is relevant to their field of study upon completion of their studies.
In France, international students have the right to work part-time for up to 19 hours per week whilst studying. Students must, however, have a valid residency permit and be enrolled in an institution which participates in the French social protection system. Upon completion of studies, students are able to accept offers of employment from French firms by applying for temporary employment authorization. It ought to be noted that both Germany and France belongs to the Schengen agreement.
School
In much of continental Europe, the term "school" usually applies to primary education, with primary schools that last between four and nine years, depending on the country. It also applies to secondary education, with secondary schools often divided between "Gymnasiums" and vocational schools, which again depending on country and type of school educate students for between three and six years. In Germany students graduating from Grundschule are not allowed to directly progress into a vocational school, but are supposed to proceed to one of Germany's general education schools such as Gesamtschule, Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium. When they leave that school, which usually happens at age 15–19 they are allowed to proceed to a vocational school. The term school is rarely used for tertiary education, except for some "upper" or "high" schools (German: Hochschule), which describe colleges and universities.
Academic term
In schools in Denmark, the school year runs from August to June. In universities, the academic year runs from around September 1 to June 30, and is often divided into an autumn semester (with January set aside for exams) and a spring semester (with June set aside for exams). Since 2004, some Danish universities and faculties divide the academic year into four quarters, each of which may consist of eight weeks and an exam week, and being separated from the next quarter by a one-week break.
Academic term
In the elementary and high schools in Hungary, the school year usually runs from September 1 to June 15 of the next year, with variation if these dates fall on Saturday or Sunday. The school year "(tanév)" is usually split into two semesters "(félév)". These semesters are also divided, with some schools holding examinations each half-semester. The first semester runs from September 1 until the middle of January and is divided by the fall vacation, which is around All Saints' Day and lasts for a week. The second semester is closed at the end of the school year. It is divided by the Easter holiday, which usually consist of the weekend before Easter and the holiday itself. Apart from these vacations and national celebrations, a few schools have 'skiing holidays' "(síszünet)", the date of which varies from the middle of January until February, though some schools hold it in December. Its length also varies from one school to another. It is made so that the students of the school who partake in the skiing camp of the school need no verification of absence. In the last school year of secondary education, the Matura examinations (school-leaving exam and entrance exam for university admissions; similar to A-level exams in the UK) are administered from May through July.
Academic term
The exact dates vary from year to year, as well as between states, and for public and private school. In Tasmania until and including 2012, the school year was split into three terms, the first one being the longest and including an extended Easter holiday (which was also the practice of mainland Australia until the mid-1980s). However, in 2013 Tasmania introduced a four-term year, to conform to the rest of the country. There is typically a break of two weeks mid-semester (i.e. after Term 1 and after Term 3) and a break of three weeks in the middle of the year, although this can vary between jurisdictions. In the year 2000, due to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the state of New South Wales extended the break after Term 3 to three weeks, compensating by reducing the break in the middle of the year to two weeks.
List of Kodomo no Jikan chapters
The Japanese elementary school year, which begins in April and ends in March, can be divided into discrete time periods of two types: trimesters and vacations.
As of April 1, 2002, a five-day-long school week has become the norm in all public elementary schools. Given that "Kodomo no Jikan's" fictional Futatsubashi Elementary is such a school, the first chapter takes place well after this aforementioned date, and the structure of the Japanese school year is well-defined and consistent between academic institutions of the same type, events in the series can be assigned to a specific trimester, vacation period, or even day if sufficient information is provided.
Academic term
Summer break is 45 days. The calendar is designed by the Secretary of Public Education (, SEP), the government department overseeing public education aln in Mexico with arrangements of the leaders of the National Educational Workers Union (Spanish: "Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación", SNTE). All public and private elementary schools under the guidance of the dependence observe this year. In the case of universities, normally the school year starts in the last week of July and is divided in trimesters or semesters. Christmas Break is usually 3 weeks.
Education in Germany
Multi-state agreements ensure that basic requirements are universally met by all state school systems. Thus, all children are required to attend one type of school (five or six days a week) from the age of 6 to the age of 16. A pupil may change schools in the case of exceptionally good (or exceptionally poor) ability. Graduation certificates from one state are recognized by all the other states. Qualified teachers are able to apply for posts in any of the states.
Nimitz High School (Irving, Texas)
The school year consists of two 18-week semesters. The regular school days consists of eight 46 minute class periods (an exception is 4th period which is longer due to lunches). A variety of extensive instructional programs meet the needs of students with different learning abilities and interests. In addition to regular courses, classes taught at Nimitz also include Pre-AP, Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, gifted and talented, special education, career and technical education, and English as a Second Language.
Dual education system
In Germany, this practical training may be complemented by more practical lessons at workshops run by the guilds and chamber of commerce, in order to compensate for the bias caused by training at only one company. These extra courses usually take three or four weeks a year. The time spent at vocational school is approximately 60 days a year, in blocks of one or two weeks at a time spread out over the year.
Summer vacation
In Germany, summer vacation lasts six and a half weeks. The exact dates vary by state as well as from one to the next year, from the earliest (mid-June to late July) to the latest (late July to early September). In Germany the annual holidays are split into winter holidays (about one week), Easter holidays (mostly about two weeks), summer holiday (about six and a half weeks), autumn holidays (about one to two weeks) and Christmas holidays (about one to two weeks). Some states like Bavaria also have holidays for Pentecost. Summed up over the whole year the holidays are about thirteen weeks.
Education in Germany
Learning a foreign language is compulsory throughout Germany in secondary schools and English is one of the more popular choices. Students at certain "Gymnasium" are required to learn Latin as their first foreign language and choose a second foreign language. The list of available foreign languages as well as the hours of compulsory foreign language lessons differ from state to state, but the more common choices, besides Latin, are English, French, Spanish, ancient Greek. Many schools also offer voluntary study groups for the purpose of learning other languages. At which stage students begin learning a foreign language differs from state to state and is tailored according to the cultural and socio-economical dynamics of each state. In some states, foreign language education starts in the "Grundschule" (primary school). For example, in North Rhine-Westphalia, English starts in the third year of elementary school. Baden-Württemberg starts with English or French in the first year. The Saarland, which borders France, begins with French in the third year of primary school and French is taught in high school as the main foreign language.
School holiday
Typically, each term lasts for approximately ten weeks (give or take a week), with school holidays after each term (typically two weeks although this varies between jurisdictions). Historically, the Term 1 holidays have been scheduled around Easter, reflecting the three-term system's notion of an extended Easter break within Term 1; although since the mid-1990s this has gradually changed, and now only Queensland and Victoria tie the school holidays closely to Easter; the remainder of Australia and all of New Zealand now have a fixed length to Term 1 which leads to a school holiday in April and the Easter period falling within Term 1 in some years with an early Easter, such as 2018. The Term 2 holidays generally take place in early July, possibly beginning in the last days of June; and the Term 3 holidays usually encompass the last days of September and the first days of October (although in the year 2000, due to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the state of New South Wales extended the break after Term 3 to three weeks and held it earlier in September, with students returning to school at the start of October).
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's education system consists of 2 years of pre-school, 7 years of primary and 6 years of secondary schooling before students can enter university in the country or abroad. The academic year in Zimbabwe runs from January to December, with three terms, broken up by one month holidays, with a total of 40 weeks of school per year. National examinations are written during the third term in November, with "O" level and "A" level subjects also offered in June.
Academic year
Summer is still a popular time for family vacations, and most have a 2 or 3-month summer vacation. The academic year typically runs from late August or early September until May or June, depending on the length of the year and number of the holiday, vacation, and snow days occurring during the year. The year is divided into two semesters, three trimester or four quarters, typically with a report card issued to students' parents at the end of each.
Academic term
Universities and colleges follow a different academic year. It consists of two semesters—the winter semester starting on 1 October, which ends around 15 January. It is followed by a one-month break, during which students take the exams for subjects they have read in the semester. The summer semester begins on 15 February and lasts until 31 May, followed by the exam period, which ends on 30 June. Students who have not passed the necessary exams have a chance to do so during the autumn exam period in September. Students and faculty are free during in July and August. New classes are held again in October.
Academic term
The primary school year runs from the beginning of September until the end of June. There are breaks for Christmas and Easter and two mid-term breaks at the end of October and mid-February. Secondary schools run from September to the end of May, but due to the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate exams, 3rd and 6th years respectively break at the end of June for summer holidays upon completion of the exams which end in the 3rd week of June.
The academic year for schools in receipt of public funding lasts for a minimum of 167 teaching days in secondary schools and 183 days in primary schools.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
American students who receive the scholarship usually spend 11 months in Germany. The first few weeks of the program are taken up by an Orientation and Language Seminar. The remaining ten months of the program usually see the students spread out over Germany, staying with a host family. They attend a Gymnasium, the German equivalent of high school, for an academic year. Other seminars take place over the course of the year, including a trip to the capital in Berlin, where the scholars speak, in German, to the German Bundestag.
School holiday
All public schools have the following breaks/holidays:Summer holidays run from Late May-mid June to early-mid September and are around 13-15 weeks long.
Spring break – one to two weeks between late march and early may depending on the date of Easter. .
Winter break is three weeks long ( it starts in the third or fourth week of December and it ends on the second or third Monday of January).