School grade chart (Japan)
Pick a birth date and school year to estimate grade level and typical entrance and graduation years. The chart uses Japan’s common April-start school-year rules and does not cover regional differences, school paths, entry timing, repeat years, gap years, or non-Japanese systems.
About this chart
Look up a grade from a birth date
Choose a birth date and the target Japanese school year to see the approximate grade and milestone years from elementary school through a typical four-year university track.
Where one grade starts and ends
Under the common rule used here, classmates usually share birthdays from April 2 of one year through April 1 of the next year.
Early birth dates
Birthdays from January 1 through April 1 are often called “early birth” in Japan. Classmates may include people born earlier in the same calendar year.
What “entrance year” means
Years are Japanese school fiscal years (for example, 2026 runs from around April 2026 through March 2027). Results are a simplified guide and ignore repeat years and gap years.
Using the full table
Change the school year to refresh the birth-date ranges and milestone years for every row. You can use the table even without entering a birth date.
FAQ
- 1How are grade boundaries defined?
- This tool follows the common rule that one grade covers April 2 through the following April 1.
- 2What counts as an “early birth” date?
- Birthdays from January 1 through April 1 are often described as early birth in Japan.
- 3Which grade is April 1?
- April 1 birthdays are grouped with classmates born on or after April 2 of the previous year.
- 4Which grade is April 2?
- April 2 is treated as the earliest birthday within the new grade cohort for that school year.
- 5Does this include university years?
- Yes, as a simplified four-year university track. It does not model repeat years or gap years.
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