Year 12 is an educational year group in

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes co ...

s in many countries including

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is En ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. It is sometimes the twelfth year of compulsory education, or alternatively a year of post-compulsory education. It usually incorporates students aged between 16 and 18, depending on the locality. It is also known as " senior year" in parts of Australia, where it is the final year of compulsory education. Year Twelve in England and Wales, and in New Zealand, is the equivalent of

Eleventh grade Eleventh grade, 11th grade, junior year, or grade 11 (called Year 12 in Wales and England and fifth form in Jamaica) is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16–17 years of age, dependin ...

, junior year, or grade 11 in the US and parts of Canada.

Australia

In Australia, Year 12 is either the 12th or 13th year of compulsory education or the first or second year of post-compulsory education, depending on the state. However, one may leave school in year 10, after completing a series of compulsory tests, unless in Victoria, where no tests are required. It is the third year of "senior school", following Year 10/11 and sixth year of high school. Most students in Year 12 are aged between 17 and 18.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, Year 12 is the 12th full year of compulsory education, with students entering Year 12 generally aged between 15 & 1/2 and 17. The minimum age for leaving compulsory education is 16 years of age, so for some students this is their last year of compulsory education. Year 12 pupils are educated in

Secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s or in

Area school In New Zealand and Australia, an area school is a school that takes children from kindergarten age (usually 4 or 5 years old) all the way through to tertiary entrance exams (at about age 18). They tend to be built in small towns where the cost of ...

s. Year Twelve was previously known as the 6th form and most students will be studying for NCEA Level 2. It is followed by

Year 13 Year 13 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England and Wales, Northern Ireland and New Zealand. It is sometimes the thirteenth and final year of compulsory education, or alternatively a year of post-compulso ...

, the final year of secondary education in New Zealand.

United Kingdom

England and Wales

Year 12 is the 12th year after

Reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another ...

. In England, it is one option for the second-to-last year of compulsory education and usually forms part of a

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for ...

sixth form college A sixth form college is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A Levels, Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) and the International Baccalaureate ...

. It is also known as the "Lower sixth", with "Upper sixth" being

in a sixth form; in independent or vocational colleges these titles are not used. Years twelve and thirteen comprise

Key Stage 5 Key Stage 5 is a label used to describe the two years of education for students aged 16–18, or at sixth form, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, aligning with previous Key Stages as labelled for the National Curriculum. Key Stage 5 is also ...

. In England, students of Year 12 age must continue their education in some form, but this can be part-time as part of an apprenticeship or traineeship, or alongside work. In Wales, Year 12 is not part of compulsory education. Year 12 is the first year of

, when the students are age 16 by August 31st. Students in Year 12 in England and Wales can study

A Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

qualifications in sixth form college, or alternatively the more vocational BTEC. Students have the option to stay at the school where they studied their

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

(or equivalent) qualifications, or move to another educational facility. There are many subjects available to study at AS Level in Year 12 including

sciences Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at t ...

and languages but also vocational subjects such as art & design, drama and IT.

Scotland

In Scotland, 'Year Twelve' is known as fifth year or S5 and is the second last year of High School. Pupils can legally drop out at the end of fourth year (aged 16), making fifth and sixth year not compulsory.

Northern Ireland

, Year 12 is the fifth and final year of compulsory post-primary education. Students in Year 12 are aged between 15 and 16. It is the final year of

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

References

{{UK Education 12