Matching grades: UK Year, US Grade and Korean school year

This guide is for parents who are unsure which grade their child will enter abroad. British, American, Korean and Japanese schools use different cut-off dates and grade names. Here are the official rules and some birthday examples.

The key rule: UK Year = US Grade + 1

British schools count Reception, then Year 1; American schools count kindergarten, then Grade 1. So the same child's British year number is one higher than the American grade.

• UK Year 7 = US Grade 6
• UK Years 12-13 are the A Level stage (sixth form).

Cut-off dates by country

UK: born 1 September to 31 August

For 2025/26, Year 1 is born September 2019-August 2020 and Year 7 is born September 2013-August 2014. Reception is the foundation stage (EYFS), Years 1-2 are KS1, Years 3-6 KS2, Years 7-9 KS3 and Years 10-11 KS4.

US: depends on state and district

The US has kindergarten then Grades 1-12, and children usually start Grade 1 around age 6. Age cut-offs and school bands depend on state and district rules, so check the district you are moving to.

Korea: calendar-year cohorts, March start

Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, children start primary school on 1 March of the year after they turn 6. Children born in 2019 start in March 2026.

Japan: April start

Children born between 2 April and the following 1 April share a grade, and placement is by age.

Birthday examples (2025/26)

• Born January-August 2019: UK Year 2; US Grade 1 in a district with a 1 September cut-off; Korean primary year 1 from March 2026
• Born October 2019: UK Year 1; kindergarten in that US district; Korean primary year 1 from March 2026

Children born September-December are the most likely to sit one grade apart between UK/US schools and Korea. Keep this in mind if you plan to return.

Checklist

• Have you noted your child's birth date and current grade?
• Do you know whether the school is British or American?
• In the US, have you checked the district's age cut-off?
• If born September-December, do you know the grade may differ?
• Have you thought about how grades continue if you return to Korea?

Ask the school

• Which grade the birth date places the child in
• Whether previous reports and level are considered
• When a child is placed up or down a year

The school makes the final placement from birth date and previous schooling. Always confirm with the school.