UK year groups vs US grades: ages and conversion chart

Last reviewed: November 2026 by Emma from ISA. Age rules can change; always confirm placement with the school.

A family moving from Texas to Madrid can arrive with a report card that says "2nd grade" and an offer letter from a British school that says "Year 4". Both can be right. Comparing UK year groups vs US grades is mostly simple arithmetic, but the cut-off date that decides a child's class differs between England, each US state and Spain, and autumn birthdays cause the surprises.

How do UK year groups compare with US grades?

When both systems use a 1 September cut-off, the US grade is simply the English year group minus one. The chart below makes that assumption: it is England's rule and the most common rule in US states.

Sources: gov.uk national curriculum key stages (ages by year group) and the 2020 state kindergarten entrance table published by the US National Center for Education Statistics. US school levels vary by district; many middle schools cover grades 6 to 8.

British year groups and ages: Reception to Year 13

England's school year starts in September, and a year group contains children born between 1 September and 31 August. Gov.uk says most children start Reception full-time in the September after their fourth birthday, so a child who turns 4 in June starts that September.

The national curriculum groups the years into Key Stages, each with its own checks:

• Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2, ages 5 to 7): a phonics screening check in Year 1.
• Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6, ages 7 to 11): a times tables check in Year 4 and national tests in English and maths in Year 6.
• Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9, ages 11 to 14): the start of secondary school.
• Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11, ages 14 to 16): most pupils take GCSEs or other national tests in Year 11.

Years 12 and 13, Key Stage 5 in the NABSS table, are the sixth form and the usual home of AS and A Level courses. A pupil in England can leave school on the last Friday in June if they will be 16 by the end of the summer holidays, but must then stay in full-time education, start an apprenticeship or combine work or volunteering with part-time study until 18.

American grades and ages: why the state matters

In the United States there is no single national cut-off. The US Department of Education describes education as primarily a state and local responsibility, with states and communities setting requirements for enrolment and graduation. Kindergarten entry shows the spread, according to the Education Commission of the States' 2020 comparison:

• 1 September: California, Texas and Florida, among others.
• Later dates: 1 October in Colorado and 15 October in Maine.
• Earlier dates: 31 July in Hawaii.
• District choice: Massachusetts leaves the minimum age to each district, and New York leaves it to districts within an age band of 4 to 6.

Private and international schools set their own rules too. Grades 9 to 12 form high school and lead to a high school diploma, with requirements set by each state or school. Many students add Advanced Placement (AP) courses: the College Board scores AP exams from 1 to 5, and many US colleges give credit for a 3 or above. For a fuller comparison of teaching and exams, read our guide to the British vs American curriculum.

What about Scotland?

Scotland uses different names and a different cut-off. Primary school runs from P1 to P7 and secondary from S1 to S6, under the Curriculum for Excellence, with a senior phase for qualifications from roughly S4. The school year starts in August, and the birth window runs from 1 March to the end of February: mygov.scot lists children born between 1 March 2022 and 28 February 2023 as starting P1 in August 2027. A child born in January 2023 therefore starts P1 in Scotland in August 2027 but would reach Year 1 in England only in September 2028. Parents in Scotland can defer entry for a child who is still 4 on the start date.

How do schools in Madrid place a child from the US?

It depends on the school's cut-off, and in Spain there are two in common use. Spanish schools group pupils by calendar year of birth, a rule our guide to the Spanish school system vs UK explains in detail. Some British schools in Spain use the same calendar year: the British School of Gran Canaria's admissions policy, for example, says each year group is born between 1 January and 31 December, and that Spanish nationals cannot join a year ahead without authorisation from the education authorities. The National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS) pairs Year 2 with 1º de Primaria. American schools may keep a US-style date instead.

St. George School Madrid

St. George, in Hortaleza, follows the English National Curriculum and adds Spanish language and social sciences so that pupils' studies can be validated in Spain, according to the school. Secondary pupils prepare for IGCSEs, and the last two years, for students aged 17 and 18, lead to the IB Diploma rather than A Levels. The school says about 60% of its pupils are Spanish and that it considers mid-year entry case by case.

Hastings School

Hastings, whose Early Years building is on Paseo de la Habana in Chamartín, takes children from Pre-Nursery at age 2 and describes Reception as the year for children aged 5. Its IGCSEs are taken in Year 11, when students are 15 or 16. Applicants from Year 1 to Year 13 sit an assessment and an interview, and from Year 2 the school expects age-appropriate spoken and written English, plus age-appropriate numeracy.

The American School of Madrid

ASM, in Pozuelo de Alarcón, awards a US High School Diploma and offers the full IB Diploma in Grades 11 and 12. Its early childhood applicants must turn 3, 4 or 5 before 1 September, the most common US rule. The school says it has roughly 1,000 to 1,060 students, about one third of them American, and charges a non-refundable application fee of 250 euros per child.

Worked example: from Texas to a British school in Madrid

Texas admits children to kindergarten if they are 5 on or before 1 September. Take two girls, one born on 10 March 2018 and one born on 10 October 2018:

• March birthday: 3rd grade in Texas in 2026-27, Year 4 in England and 3º de Primaria in Spain, which NABSS pairs with Year 4. Every system agrees.
• October birthday: 2nd grade in Texas and Year 3 in England, but 3º de Primaria in Spain because she was born in 2018. In a British school that groups by calendar year she would join Year 4, a year ahead of her Texas classmates; if ASM applied its early childhood cut-off of 1 September, she would be in Grade 2.

Before you accept a place, work through these steps:

1. Ask each school which cut-off it uses: 1 September, the calendar year or another date.
2. Ask where it would place your child and whether a move up or down is possible later.
3. Bring report cards and standardised test results: ASM asks for three years of academic records in English.

Compare British and American schools in Madrid

Once you know which year group your child belongs in, compare curricula, fees and locations in our list of the best international schools in Madrid.

Sources: gov.uk (national curriculum key stages, school starting age, leaving school); mygov.scot (school start dates by birth date); Scottish Government (Curriculum for Excellence); US National Center for Education Statistics (state kindergarten entrance table, 2020); Education Commission of the States (kindergarten entrance cut-offs); US Department of Education (federal role in education); College Board (AP scores); NABSS school equivalency table; British School of Gran Canaria admissions policy; St. George School Madrid, Hastings School and American School of Madrid admissions and curriculum pages.

More guides to schools in Madrid

• Best international schools in Madrid
• International school fees in Madrid
• Bilingual schools in Madrid
• International school admissions in Madrid
• How to choose an international school in Madrid
• best international schools in Madrid

Frequently asked questions

What grade is Year 7 in the US?

Year 7 corresponds to 6th grade. Pupils in England start Year 7, the first year of Key Stage 3 and usually of secondary school, aged 11, and US 6th graders are also 11 at the start of the year where the state uses a 1 September cut-off. In many US districts 6th grade is the first year of middle school.

Is Year 13 the same as 12th grade?

By age, yes: both are for students who are 17 at the start of the year and turn 18 during it. The endpoint differs. Year 13 usually finishes with A Levels or the IB Diploma, while 12th grade ends with a high school diploma, often with AP exams scored from 1 to 5 by the College Board.

Do British schools in Madrid use the 1 September cut-off?

Not always. Spain groups pupils by calendar year of birth, and some British schools in Spain follow that rule, so a child born between September and December can be placed a year higher than in England. American schools may keep a US-style date: the American School of Madrid uses 1 September. Ask each school before applying.