People not from America: When Americans mention, "grade levels (7th, 8th, 9th, etc.)," You use the logic of Bart Simpson being 10 years old and in the 4th grade to figure out what age group they're talking about. amirite?

It depends on the cut off date. I was eight when I started fourth grade.

I started school in NC and the cut off date was October 1st. My birthday is September 26th though so a lot of people were still older than me especially since I moved right after Kindergarten and the cut off date was September 1st.

I'm still like 5th youngest in my grade and my birthday is in June. We have a really old school. Like some seniors are 19 and we just started school last week.

I think even if you start at eight, you'll generally be nine within a month or two of school starting. Cut off dates are usually "you have to be this age by September/October", not January or something.

@empororerror She means she didn't turn 9 in fourth grade until November 22 when everyone else already was nine.

Around here it's September 1st and some of my friends are babies and she was 5 in first grade it was so sweet but mostly at my school everyone starts school a year late so they're good at sports.

Where I live, you generally start off 9 in 4th grade and turn 10 some time during the year.

Oh, where I live it's "Turn the older age by the end of August in the summer after this school year."

In my school district our cut off date is December 1st (You had to be 5 by then to enter Kindergaden) I'm November 22 and I'm a full year younger than some people in my grade.

Interesting. November 22nd would still be the older curve where I live.

I know, Kirsten. Where I live people born in late November would be some of the older kids in the grade.

I read "I know, Kirsten" in a patronizing voice. And Thanks for clearing that up.

Oh sorry D: I didn't mean to sound patronizing. I just wrote 'I know,' then added 'Kirsten' thinking people might not know who I was talking to, despite the fact that you were the only one who had commented after me.

And no problem.

We have pre-school, which isn't required, kindergarten, and then grades 1-12.

I'm American, and I"ll graduate at 17. But I'm younger than most of my friends, so that's not the norm

You don't do more school than us then, you just number it differently. We do pre-primary then grade R then 1-12. So our grade R is the equivalent of your grade 1.
I don't know how the USA works though, I'm South African.

Nope, in England we turn 10 in Year 5.

Even if kindergarten weren't mandatory, it's a free babysitter, so most parents would send their kids off.

So you graduate at age 17?

Yeah, it does. It's not mandatory in most of them, I think.

I actually heard they're starting to only accept kids in kindergarten if they can already read or say the alphabet n such. Maybe that's just where I live, I'm not sure. & following ballet_apocalypse, I'm pretty sure it is normal to graduate at 17 because it really just depends on if you're a summer baby or not, so I thought I would let you know (:

I think it's mandatory in SC too but even if it isn't, I'm assuming most parents choose to enroll their kids in it.

Also, DanniDolphin, assuming I don't take a year off, I won't be 18 until after I start college.

I think it all depends on cut-off dates, if parents decide to wait before putting their kid in school (I have a cousin whose parents did that so he's in the grade below me but he's a month older), if you ever failed a grade, if you take a year off... So many factors.

Haha, no, we just do more school that you guys - up to year 13 instead of grade 12.

that depends on what state you live in I think

Its mandatory in Florida, I'm pretty sure.

well tharrr you go haha that's what I was trying to say though, was that it was completely normal. Same thing happened with my mom, she was 17 but I know a guy who's 19 & is just about to start. It's a little confusing :p

About 95% of the kids where I live graduate at 18. The cutoff date here is September 1.

Kindergarten isn't really required either.