How Japanese Schools Work and How to Enroll Your Child

The school system at a glance

Japan's schools follow a 6-3-3 pattern: six years of elementary school, three years of junior high school, and usually three years of senior high school. The first nine years are compulsory education (gimu kyōiku).

Some areas also have schools that combine these stages: a nine-year compulsory school (gimu kyōiku gakkō, 義務教育学校) that covers elementary and junior high, and a six-year secondary school (chūtō kyōiku gakkō, 中等教育学校) that covers junior and senior high.

For children with disabilities, there are schools for special needs education (tokubetsu shien gakkō, 特別支援学校), and many ordinary schools have special classes (tokubetsu shien gakkyū, 特別支援学級).

Classes are taught in Japanese. Public elementary and junior high schools are run by the board of education (kyōiku iinkai, 教育委員会) of your city, ward, town, or village. This office is your main contact for everything in this guide.

School year and your child's grade

The school year starts in April. Grades are decided by age, not by test: children born between April 2 and April 1 of the following year are in the same grade. Because of this, the grade your child joins may differ from their grade at home.

There is no grade skipping. Students move up one grade each year.

If your child's Japanese is not yet strong enough, or what they studied at home follows a different order, the board of education can place them in a lower grade, either for a while or permanently. Talk this through with the board before your child starts.

What is different for foreign families

Parents who are not Japanese nationals do not have a legal duty to send their children to a Japanese school. But when you want your child to attend a public elementary or junior high school, the school accepts your child in the same way as a Japanese child, with no tuition and free textbooks.

Once enrolled, your child receives the same education as Japanese classmates. You can also choose an international school or an ethnic school instead.

Some cities also run evening junior high schools (yakan chūgaku, 夜間中学). Ask your board of education whether your child can enroll in one.

Depending on the area, the board may let your child attend a different school than the one assigned by your address so that they can get more Japanese-language support.

What is free and what you pay

Free at public elementary and junior high schools

• Tuition
• Textbooks, given to each student at the start of every school year

What families usually pay

• School lunch (kyūshoku, 給食). Most elementary and junior high schools serve lunch, and parents pay for it. If your child cannot eat certain foods for health or religious reasons, tell the homeroom teacher.
• Extra learning materials and school supplies used in class

Help if money is tight

If your municipal board of education recognizes that your family has difficulty paying, you can receive school attendance assistance (shūgaku enjo, 就学援助) for school supplies and lunch. Ask the board of education how to apply.

For senior high school, support for tuition is also available at both public and private schools. The school hands out the application forms.

How to enroll: step by step

These are the steps for public elementary and junior high school after you arrive in Japan.

1. Register your address at the city officeGo to the resident registration counter of your city, ward, town, or village office and file a moving-in notification (tennyū todoke, 転入届).
2. Tell the board of education you want your child to attend schoolAt the board of education, say that you want your child to go to a Japanese school. You will receive an application form for enrolling a foreign student (gaikokujin jidō seito nyūgaku shinseisho, 外国人児童生徒入学申請書). For a child who is just starting first grade, you may receive a school entry guide (shūgaku annai, 就学案内) instead.
3. Fill in the form and hand it inWrite the required details and submit the form to the board of education.
4. Receive the enrollment permitThe board gives you an enrollment permit (nyūgaku kyokasho, 入学許可書), either on the spot or by mail. Check the name and address of the school your child will attend.
5. Visit the school togetherGo to the school with your child. Bring the enrollment permit and records from your child's school at home, such as a certificate of enrollment and a transcript.

What the school will ask you

At the first meeting, the school talks with you so that your child's school life gets off to a good start. Be ready to share:

• Your child's name and what they like to be called, date of birth, nationality, and date of arrival in Japan
• How long you plan to stay
• School history at home, including the grade they finished, and how much Japanese they have studied
• Health history and any allergies
• Favorite subjects, strengths, hobbies, and hopes for the future
• Family members, how to reach you in an emergency, your workplace, and whether you need an interpreter
• How your child will get to and from school

Moving within Japan or leaving the country

Moving to another city in Japan

1. Tell the current schoolLet the school know that you are moving.
2. File a moving-out notificationAt your current city office, file a moving-out notification (tenshutsu todoke, 転出届).
3. Collect two documents from the schoolA certificate of enrollment (zaigaku shōmeisho, 在学証明書) and a certificate of textbook provision (kyōka yō tosho kyūyo shōmeisho, 教科用図書給与証明書).
4. Register at your new city office within 14 daysFile the moving-in notification (tennyū todoke) within 14 days of moving.
5. Get the transfer notice and go to the new schoolThe new board of education gives you a notice of school transfer or an enrollment permit. Take it, along with the two certificates, to the new school.

Leaving Japan

If you are returning home or moving abroad, talk with the school or the board of education before you leave.

Japanese words you'll see

Sources

This guide is based on information published by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Procedures can vary by city, so check the details with your local board of education.

• MEXT: Guidebook for Starting School (就学ガイドブック), English edition, April 2015
• MEXT: Procedures for the school attendance of foreign children (外国人の子等の就学に関する手続について)
• MEXT: Attending elementary and junior high school (小・中学校等への就学について), updated October 31, 2023

Practice what to say at school in Japanese Talk: School Life.