
It is a commonality across the country that kids in middle school tend to be less happy than kids in elementary school, and that the transition from the last year of elementary school (fifth grade) to the first year of middle school or junior high (sixth grade) tends to be a pretty rough adjustment. For instance, while 68 percent of 5th graders in elementary school said they felt a sense of belonging in school, that sentiment is shared by only 46 percent of 6th graders in middle school. 7th graders did even worse, with just 38 percent feeling a sense of belonging. Similar declines in self-reported well-being are seen when asked about their relationship with teachers, their school climate and their positive feelings. Some of this is probably unavoidable since early adolescence is a pretty rough time in general, but nailing this transition has been an issue for educators for years. Most 6th graders attend “middle school” from 6th to 8th, but some 6th graders are in an elementary school and go to “junior high” for 7th and 8th. Others stay in one big school from kindergarten through 8th. The ideal course isn’t entirely known, and there are tradeoffs; for instance, while 7th and 8th graders are happier in K-8 schools, there’s evidence it’s harder on the 4th and 5th graders.
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