School Age Calculator India

Education System in India

An Overview

There are three main streams of school education in India. Two of these are coordinated at the national level, being the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE). The third being independent and private schools which follow their own curriculum.

The school system in India has four levels: lower primary (age 6 to 10), upper primary (ages 11 and 12), high school (ages 13 to 15) and higher secondary (ages 17 and 18). The school grades and age of entry is different in each state and government region. The school years in India commonly starts in June however some areas the school year starts as early as March or April.

Preschool

Preschool can start as young as 2 or 3 years old where the child may attend play group or nursey until they are 4 years old.

Following this children attend lower or junior kindergarten (LK) at ages 4 to 5 and then Upper or senior kindergarten at 5 to six years old.

Lower Primary School

The formal school system starts with Primary or Lower Primary where the child commences in Class and attends for 4 years to Class 4.

Entry into Lower Primary school is set by individual states and is usually based around if the child has turned 5 ½ or 6 by a certain cut-off point within the year, usually between April to June. Calculate school year from date of birth India to determine when your child will start school.

Upper Primary / Middle School

Following Lower Primary students enter Upper Primary, which is similar to Middle School in other countries, and usually attend from Class 5 to Class 8 however not all states follow the exact same model.

Secondary / High School

Secondary or High School in India usually commences with Class 8 and runs for 3 years through to Class 10, however some states such as Uttar Pradesh, High School only runs from Class 9 to Class 10.

Higher Secondary

Higher Secondary is the final stage of school running for two years with Class 11 and Class 12.

CBSE and the ICSE schools conduct their own exams at the end of High School in Class 10 and again at the end of 12 years (after higher secondary). Admission to the 11th class is normally based on the performance in Class 10 exams.

School Entry Requirements

As the school entry policy is different in each state, a brief summary is provided for the largest states below.

Uttar Pradesh

To start Lower Primary in Uttar Pradesh the child must be 5 years old by 31st march to enter Class 1. Primary runs for 7 years from Class 1 to Class 7, with the school term starting in April each year.

Maharashtra

To start Lower Primary in Maharashtra the child must be 6 years old by 31st December to enter Class 1. Primary runs for 4 years from Class 1 to Class 4. Upper Primary runs from Class 5 to Class 10 and is combined with Secondary School.

Bihar

To start Lower Primary in Bihar the child must be 6 years old by 30th April to enter Class 1. Primary runs for 7 years from Class 1 to Class 7, with the school term starting in April each year.

West Bengal

To start Lower Primary in West Bangal the child must be 6 years old by 31th March to enter Class 1. Primary runs for 4 years from Class 1 to Class 4, with the school term starting in June each year.

Madhya Pradesh

To start Lower Primary in Madhya Pradesh the child must be 5 years old by 1st April to enter Class 1. Primary runs for 4 years from Class 1 to Class 4, with the school term starting in April each year.

Tamil Nadu

To start Lower Primary in Tamil Nadu the child must be 5 ½ years old by 1st June to enter Class 1. Lower Primary runs for 5 years from Class 1 to Class 5, with the school term starting in June each year.

Rajasthan

To start Lower Primary in Rajastan the child must be 5 ½ years old by 31st March to enter Class 1. Lower Primary runs for 4 years from Class 1 to Class 4, with the school term starting in April each year.

Karnataka

To start Lower Primary in Karnataka the child must be 5 ½ years old by 1st June to enter Class 1. Lower Primary runs for 5 years from Class 1 to Class 5, with the school term starting in June each year.

Gujarat

To start Lower Primary in Gujarat the child must be 6 years old by 1st June to enter Class 1. Lower and Upper Primary are combined, with students attending the same school from Class 1 to Class 7 before attending High School from Class 8 to 10. The school term starts in June each year.