Academic Programs & Age Bands by Curriculum
"Primary school" doesn't mean the same age range in every system - IB Primary Years runs to age 11, British Key Stage 2 also ends at 11, but Singapore's Primary runs all the way to 12 and German Grundschule stops at 10.
| Curriculum | Early Years | Primary | Secondary | Leaving qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British / A-Level | Nursery & Reception, ages 3-5 | Years 1-6 (Key Stages 1-2), ages 5-11 | Years 7-13 (Key Stages 3-5), ages 11-18 | GCSEs at 16, A-Levels at 18 |
| American / AP | Pre-K & Kindergarten, ages 4-6 | Grades 1-5 (Elementary), ages 6-11 | Grades 6-8 (Middle) + 9-12 (High School), ages 11-18 | High School Diploma at 18, AP exams optional from ~16 |
| International Baccalaureate | PYP early years, ages 3-6 | PYP, ages 6-11 (programme spans 3-12 overall) | MYP ages 11-16, then DP ages 16-19 | IB Diploma at 18-19 |
| Chinese National Curriculum | Kindergarten (school-dependent), ages 3-6 | Xiǎoxué, Grades 1-6, ages 6-12 | Chūzhōng Grades 7-9 (12-15) + Gāozhōng Grades 10-12 (15-18) | Zhōngkǎo at 15, Gāokǎo at 18 |
| French | École Maternelle, ages 3-6 | École Élémentaire (CP-CM2), ages 6-11 | Collège ages 11-15, then Lycée ages 15-18 | Brevet at 15, Baccalauréat at 18 |
| German | Kindergarten (school-dependent), ages 3-6 | Grundschule, ages 6-10 | Gymnasium, ages 10-18/19 | Abitur at 18-19 |
| Singapore | Kindergarten (school-dependent), ages 3-6 | Primary 1-6 (P1-P6), ages 7-12 | Secondary 1-4 (Sec 1-4), ages 13-16 | PSLE at 12, O-Level (or equivalent) at 16 |
| Japanese | Kindergarten (school-dependent), ages 3-6 | Shōgakkō, ages 6-12 | Chūgakkō (12-15) + Kōtōgakkō (15-18) | Compulsory education ends at 15; high school to 18 |
| Korean | Kindergarten (school-dependent), ages 3-6 | Elementary school, ages 6-12 | Middle school (12-15) + High school (15-18) | Compulsory education ends at 15; high school to 18 |
Age bands reflect each system's typical structure and can vary by a year at the edges depending on a school's entry-date cutoff. Bilingual programmes blend one of the frameworks above with a Mandarin track and vary by school.
Once you know the age band you need, filter the school directory by curriculum, or see the curricula overview.