Over here, there’s no middle school in the public system (a small number of private schools use the term but they are K-12 so it’s more of an administrative division). Consequently, the average age of kids entering high school is twelve & a half. The selective high school exam is held in Yr 6, so students are 11-12 y.o. when they sit the paper. I suppose that’s different to the US.
There’s no good solution that I can see. I personally think the school system here needs a major overhaul with a multi-Billion dollar coaching industry, but a lot of people seem to accept the status quo (including the poor kids who commute four hrs a day because SHS catchment areas don’t have boundaries, so many families rank their preferences based on school outcomes & not where they live).
