Education in States and Nations: 1991
The correspondence between levels of education and years of school completed (for the primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary levels)
Most countries represented here split their primary through secondary level schooling into three levels, referred to here as primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary. The number of years of schooling contained within each of these levels varies from country to country, however. Moreover, even within countries, different students may follow course patterns of different sequence or duration, sometimes depending on whether they follow a vocational track, a university-preparatory track, or some other track. The table below lists the years of schooling by grades that are contained in each level of education. Some countries offer more than one grade- level sequence in a particular level of education.
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Lower Upper
Country Primary Secondary Secondary
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Australia 1-6 7-9 10-11
7-10 11-12
1-7 8-10
Austria 1-4 5-8 9-12
9-13
Belgium 1-6 7-9 10-12
10-13
7-10 11-13
7-11 11-12
Canada:
Ontario, Manitoba 1-8 9-12
British Columbia 1-7 8-10 11-12
Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, 1-6 7-9 10-12
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Alberta
Quebec 1-6 7-11
Saskatchewan 1-5 6-9 10-12
Denmark 1-6 7-9 10-12
7-10 11-13
Finland 1-5 6-9 10-12
France 1-5 6-9 10-11
6-10 10-12
Germany 1-4 5-9 10-12
5-10 11-12
11-13
Greece 1-6 7-8 9-10
7-9 10-11
10-12
Ireland 1-6 7-9 10-11
Italy 1-5 6-8 9-11
9-13
Japan 1-6 7-9 10-11
10-12
10-13
Netherlands 1-8 9-11 12-13
9-12 12-14
12-15
New Zealand 1-6 7-8 9-11
9-13
Norway 1-5 6-9 10-11
10-12
Portugal 1-5 6-8 9-10
1-6 7-9 10-12
Spain 1-5 6-8 9-12
9-13
Sweden 1-5 6-9 10-11
10-12
Switzerland 1-4 5-9 10-11
1-5 6-9 10-12
1-6 7-9 10-13
10-14
Turkey 1-5 6-8 9-11
6-9 9-12
6-10
United Kingdom 1-6 7-11 12 13
12-14
United States 1-5 6-8 9-12
1-6 7-8 10-12
1-8 7-9
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SOURCE: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Education in OECD Countries: A Compendium of Statistical Information, 1989/90, Part One.
Educational programs in the OECD countries are classified as belonging to one of seven levels, which in the United States correspond to the following: preprimary (including kindergarten), elementary school, middle or junior high school, high school, non-baccalaureate higher education (e.g., 2-year higher education institutions or community colleges), baccalaureate education (e.g., 4-year degree programs at colleges and universities), and graduate school. While the education systems in many other countries are structured similarly to that of the United States in terms of these levels, the training and education offered at them can vary significantly, particularly at the high school level and above. For example, training offered at the non-baccalaureate higher education level in one country may be offered at the high school level in another, thus contributing to variation in enrollment rates across the levels.
The profession of nursing is just one example of a case where comparable training takes place at different education levels in different countries. In the United States, most nurses (licensed practical nurses and registered nurses) receive their qualifying training in either post-high school vocational training programs, junior colleges, or technical institutions, which are considered non-baccalaureate higher education programs; or four-year or longer college programs, which are considered baccalaureate programs. Comparable training in other countries does, in some cases, take place in non-baccalaureate higher education programs, but rarely in baccalaureate programs. In France, nurse training occurs in non-baccalaureate higher education programs, but rarely in baccalaureate programs. In France, nurse training occurs in non-baccalaureate higher education programs at public and private schools of nursing. The program is 33 months long and the competitive entrance examination for it is open to students who have completed their final year of lyce, schools roughly comparable to American high schools. In Austria and Germany, however, nurse training occurs at the high school level in full-time nurse training schools. Although these programs are considered high school-level programs, in Germany, students entering the three-year program must be at least 17 years old and must have already completed ten years of general education. In Belgium, the four-year nursing program requires nine years of compulsory education, and some schools prefer students who have received the maturity certificate, which is typically required of students entering postsecondary education.
Consideration of these situations is especially pertinent when examining enrollments at the high school and non-baccalaureate higher education levels. Upper secondary level apprenticeship and vocational programs in several OECD countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark, provide the type of specialized occupational training that in the United States does not take place until after high school. But, even at the baccalaureate and graduate school levels, however, there are some significant differences in the types of programs offered.
(1) The primary sources for this section include: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, How Workers Get Their Training: A 1991 Update. Washington, D.C.: Author, 1992 and World Education series, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Washington, D.C.: France, 1988; Austria, 1981; Federal Republic of Germany, 1986; and Belgium, 1985. . . . return to section
Enrollment reference groups
