1. Russian children begin school when they are 6 years old. Elementary school consists of the first 4 grades, middle school consists of 5 grades and high school is 2 grades. It is only required that children attend the first 9 grades. After that a child can go to work or do work/study. If a child wants to go to the University, however, he or she must complete all 11 grades. There are approximately 25-30 students in each class. All students learn at least one foreign language in school.
Russian education system has three levels: school (called "school's education"), college ("middle education" and University ("high education"). A University education is more prestigious and higher than a College/middle education.
Children either walk or take public transportation to get to school. The elementary, middle and high schools are located in 1 building, so all the children from the neighborhood go to the same place. School buses are only used by children who attend private schools. If parents want to send their children to a specialized school, they must arrange for the child's transportation to that school.
All grades begin at 8:30 in the morning and children attend school Monday through Friday. There are 4 terms in a school year. Between the terms are vacations. The biggest vacation is for 3 months during the summer; the smaller vacation, in the fall is for 1 week.
During the school day, children have a hot breakfast or snacks and dinners. It is very inexpensive to buy these things at school and children generally do not bring their own food from home.
After classes children can stay at school, much like after-school programs in the U.S. until 6 pm. During this time the children can play, do homework, or participate in other activities such as dancing, singing, painting, or sports. These after-school programs are for free.
Children are expected to be ready if the teacher calls them to answer homework questions or problems at the