Terms for School Levels This table features education terms used in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and other countries. This includes reference to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) maintained by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This table provides a general sense of school terminology and age ranges, as there are differences within each country or sovereign country. In those respects, Quebec differs slightly from British Columbia, Scotland differs slightly from England, etc. This table is one of the eResources from the book Sharing Your Education Expertise with the World: Make Research Resonate and Widen Your Impact by Jenny Grant Rankin, Ph.D. See the book for terminology explanations and more. Age Canadian Terms US Terms UK Terms UNESCO ISCED Terms early junior kindergarten, early preschool, nursery school Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)ante-pre-school, early childhood early childhood ≤ 4 childhood pre-kinder., preschool education primary nursery childminders, education, educational education kindergarten, primary stage infant, key stage 1 children's Level 0 development, pre- 5 K-12 primary elementary school centre, nursery Level 1 primary education classes/school, elementary grades 1-8 (in (kindergarten school (starts with grade TK or 6 pre-school, education Quebec, grade through K and ends after 6th primary school, school and the first grade 12) or grade around age 11 if or reception 7 half of high school) TK-12 student goes on to (transitional middle school; ends classes/year key stage 2 junior school 8 kindergarten after 7th grade around through age 12 if student goes grade 12); on to junior high 9 overseen by: school) intermediate 10 school district (ISD), 11 educational secondary key stage 3 academies, service stage grammar agency secondary middle (grade 6 around 12 school, (ESA), school age 11 until grade 8 Level 2 lower secondary independent educational around age 14) or education 13 school, service junior high (grade 7 around age 12 until secondary secondary grades 9-12 (in district 14 grade 8) school school education Quebec, the second (ESD), high school (grade 9 key stage 4 half of high school) regional around age 14 until 15 educational grade 12 around age Level 3 upper secondary service 18) education 16 agency (RESA), Further key stage 4 secondary regional Education school or sixth 17 educational (FE) form college tertiary college, graduate service Levels 4-8 post-secondary non- 18 education school, postgraduate college,district community college, graduate school, Higher key stage 5 college, tertiary education (Level school, pre-university undergraduate school, university Education graduate 4), short-cycle tertiary 19 program, professional (HE) school, Higher education (Level 5), program, Education Bachelor or equivalent 20 undergraduate, institutions (Level 6), Master or university (HEIs), equivalent (Level 7), ≥ 21 undergraduate Doctoral or equivalent school, (Level 8).