Secondary education in the United States

Secondary education is the last six or seven years of statutory formal education in the United States, including grade 6 (age 11–12) or grade 7 (age 12–13), which vary by states and sometimes by district,[1]) through grade 12 (age 17–18).

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Secondary education in the United States occurs in two phases. The first is the ISCED lower secondary phase, a middle school or junior high school for students grade 6 (age 11–12) through grade 8 (age 13–14). The second is the ISCED upper secondary phase, a high school or senior high school for students grade 9 (age 14–15) through grade 12 (age 17–18).[2] There is some debate over the optimum age of transfer, and variation in some states; also, middle school often includes grades that are almost always considered primary school.[1]