Sixth Grade Education

What type of school do you attend? Is it an elementary school? Is it a middle school? Or is it a junior high? Teachers throughout the country have differing opinions as to where sixth graders should go to school.

Some teachers and parents say that sixth graders should attend school in elementary schools with kindergarten through sixth grade. They feel that sixth graders are too young to go to school with seventh and eighth graders. They feel that sixth graders are still very young and impressionable. They are at a different social and emotional level than junior-highers.

Going to school with older students encourages sixth graders to behave poorly and exposes them to inappropriate behaviors. Some teachers and parents feel that sixth graders have their childhood taken away when they are in the junior high or middle school environment.

Other educators and parents feel that the needs of sixth graders would be met best in the middle school or junior high setting. In this setting, sixth graders can be encouraged and pushed to higher levels. Sixth graders in this setting can participate in school sports, and they can experience a variety of classes. They feel that keeping sixth graders in elementary school keeps them in a self-contained classroom with one teacher. Going to school with younger students keeps the sixth graders immature.