Texas Schools
I hope that some of my readers aren't from American, and this explanation might be helpful. Even if you're American, the information might be different for Texas than elsewhere, so I thougth it was worth sharing.
In Texas, every since I started school, if you were 6 years old on the first day of school, you started first grade. When I was in school, school always started the day after Labor Day (which is the first Monday in Sept.). Now, school starts at different times, but usually in the last third of August.
Our grades are simply numbered from 1 through 12, but they are usually divided up into different schools. There have been some changes in this, which are reflected in some of my stories. The biggest change around here is 6th grade. I’ve lost track of how many times that grade has changed from middle school to elementary and back. Basically we have:
Elementary (also grade school, primary school, or grammar school)
1st thru 6th
Middle school (also junior high school) 7th and 8th grade
High School 9th thru 12th
There is also what they call intermediate school in some districts, which is the upper elementary grades. In Bransom, we have recently built a couple of intermediate schools, on the far side of elementary campuses, which allows them to use some of the same facilities, but relieves crowding, without having to build entirely new schools. This year was the last year for Clark Street Elementary (it's over 70 years old now, and they decided it was better to build a new school than continue paying the high upkeep and repair bills). When they closed Linda Dunn Elementary about 10 years ago, it was sold and became the new campus for the Bransom Christian Academy (where Van and Steven attended this year). They've not decided yet what they'll do with Street. Instead of building a new elementary school to replace Street, they're going to be opening two new intermediate schools - one of which is in our zone.
There’s a similar reason between 6th grade moving back and forth between elementary and middle school. When I was in 5th grade, 6th was in middle school. Then they opened a new elementary, moved 6th grade back to elementary, thus relieving crowding in all the involved schools. That’s happened several times since. 6th was in middle school when I was a teacher, but is now back in elementary.
There are a lot of other details involved in the workings of the American school systems, but I don’t think any of those are really going to affect the stories. If you do have other questions, feel free to drop me an e-mail and I will try to answer you. The important thing to take from this is, at the start of each school year, most kids will be whatever grade they are in plus 5 years old (so 6th graders start the year at 11), and end it as their grade plus 6 years.
In Bransom, when I was a kid, we had three elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and I think BCA (the Bransom Christian Academy expanded from being just pre-school and kindergarten to all grades during my youth). Today, we have 12 elementary schools, 2 intermediate schools, 4 middle schools, and one high school with two magnet programs, as well as the Bransom Christian Academy, as well as some smaller private schools and the Miriam Ferguson Home School Center.
Elementary Schools:
Clark Street (my first public school)
Sagget Hills (named after the housing development in which it was located, which is why it’s different from all the other Bransom school names)
Rebecca Post
Nora Woods
Louise Sanger (where my kids have attended since Corey)
Ellen Chase (this is the closest elementary outside where my kids attend)
Marcia Rendon Wheatley
Bobbie Young
John Ridge
E.T. Stripling
Robert Page
Elaine Wheatley
Intermediate Schools:
John Connolly
Price Daniel
*Dolph Briscoe (where Bryce and the twins will attend next year)
*Bill Clements
Middle Schools:
J.T. Paulette (where Matt and I attended)
Douglas Kearns (where I taught)
Ida McCallum
Dwight D. Crockett (where my kids attend)
And, of course, Bransom High School (which is actually not where I attended. The Bransom High School where my brothers and I attended became Ida McCallum Middle School in 2000)