High school in mexican spanish?
Say "preparatoria" or "bachillerato" when talking about school grades 10-12, in Mexico.
The terms "High School" usually corresponds to preparatoria or bachillerato, and follow "secundaria" comprising grades 10–12, when the student's age is 15 to 18 years old.
Primary | Educación Preescolar/Educación Básica | 3–5 |
---|---|---|
Primary | Escuela Primaria/Educación Básica | 6–11 |
Middle | Secundaria/ Educación Básica | 12–14 |
Secondary | Educacion Media Superior / Preparatoria | 15–17 |
Tertiary | Técnico Superior / Licenciatura | 18–20 |
In other countries high school has different names. A fairly common one is secundaria, or you could say preparatoria, or colegio.
- estudiante de secundaria (122)
- estudiante (96)
- de secundaria (23)
- secundaria (17)
- estudiante de instituto (10)
la escuela
(No machine translations here!)
In Mexico, basic education is divided into three levels: primary school (ages six to 12), junior high school (ages 12 to 15) and high school (ages 15 to 18). Throughout all three levels of schooling, attendance is compulsory.
General education
Grades are most often absolute and not class-specific. Thus, it may be that the top student of the class gets a low grade of 70, while the passing threshold is still 60. That is, curve-adjustment of scores is rare.
Say "preparatoria" or "bachillerato" when talking about school grades 10-12, in Mexico.
Grades 10, 11, 12. Upper Middle Education (Educación Media Superior) follows middle school (Secundaria) and includes academic high school (Bachillerato General) as well as purely vocational programs of study called Professional Technical Education (Educación Profesional Técnica).
Is Spanish in highschool hard?
Learning Spanish as a teenager in a high school Spanish course may be much easier than learning when you're older, and you'll have more opportunity to practice in a classroom setting. High school Spanish class activities are often engaging and enjoyable; plus, you'll have the support of classmates and teachers.
AFS students are normally placed in 4º ESO (10th grade/ age 15 - 16), 1º Bachillerato (11th grade / age 16 - 17) or 2º Bachillerato (12th grade / age 17 -18). Placement will depend on age and the students' studies at their home school.

Primary and Secondary public Schools in Spain
Secondary school runs from grade 1-4 (called ESO, 12-16 years) and grade 5 and 6 (Bachillerato, 16-18 years). Secondary school students are usually between 12 and 19 years of age.
The teachers are all called by their first names – There is no such thing as 'Miss' or 'Sir'. This makes the teacher/student relationship feel a lot more friendly. You might also find that the younger students call you 'Profe' a LOT, which is a shortened version of the word 'teacher' in Spanish.
estudiante de primer año m.
Hispanics are the largest minority in the United States, with the majority of them being Spanish speakers. By learning Spanish, you'll be better able to communicate with Spanish speakers. Latin American countries are our most important trading partners. Being able to speak Spanish greatly enhances your resume.
'Teacher' can be translated into Spanish as maestro (pronounced mah-EYS-troh) or profesor (pronounced proh-fay-SOHR). The two words have gender, so if we are referring to a woman, who is professionally engaged in teaching, we will say maestra (mah-EYS-trah) or profesora (proh-fay-soh-RAH).
Then, tercero de secundaria. Tercer grado (or año) de secundaria.
Foreign minors (under 18 years of age) travelling to Mexico alone or with a third party of legal age as tourists or with a short stay for study purposes (up to 180 days), DO REQUIRE authorization or a letter of consent from their parents or guardians.
Even though education is free in Mexico for public schools, it usually isn't the first choice for expats due to the inferior standards. In Mexico, the education system is administered by individual states and regulated by the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP).
How long is a school day in Mexico?
The start time and duration of the typical school day in Mexico may vary, depending on the grade level of the student. For example, preschool usually starts at 9:00 a.m. and lasts until 1:00 p.m.; however, elementary and high school can start around 8:00 a.m. and go until 2:00 p.m.
Mexico. 100/90/80/70/60. 4.0/3.6/3.0/2.7/2.0. 100=A+, 90=A, 80=B, 70=C+, 60=C.
Common examples of grade conversion are: A+ (97–100), A (93–96), A- (90–92), B+ (87–89), B (83–86), B- (80–82), C+ (77–79), C (73–76), C- (70–72), D+ (67–69), D (65–66), D- (below 65).
In fact, a “D” is considered passing in both high school and college, as it's above 60%. While a passing grade may be as low as 60%, you will want to aim higher for many reasons. As a college student, you don't want to aim to barely pass a class.
Scale | Scale 2 | Grade Description |
---|---|---|
90.00 - 100.00 | 9.00 - 10.00 | Excellent/Very Good (Excelente/Muy Bien) |
80.00 - 89.00 | 8.00 - 8.90 | Good (Bien) |
0.00 - 79.00 | 0.00 - 7.90 | Not Accredited/Fail (No Acreditada/Reprobado) |
References
- https://www.memrise.com/en-us/learn-spanish/mexican-spanish-course/phrasebook/65551846539522/how-to-say-the-school-in-mexican-spanish
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/how-do-you-say-teacher-in-spanish.html
- https://www.coloradomesa.edu/spanish/why-learn-spanish.html
- https://www.i-to-i.com/tefl-blog/teaching-english-europe/spanish-schools-differ-uk/
- https://www.wikihow.com/Say-High-School-in-Spanish
- https://www.spanishdict.com/answers/213932/what-is-the-correct-term-for-high-school-in-spanish-
- https://gpa.eng.uci.edu/node/355
- https://www.pacificprime.lat/blog/education-in-mexico-your-guide-to-the-school-system-in-mexico-2023/
- https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/hungria/index.php/en/consular-services/minors-travelling
- https://ustudy.world/spain-primary-secondary-schools/
- http://people.uncw.edu/martinezm/Handbook/html/education-in-mexico.htm
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/plan-for-college/college-basics/how-to-convert-gpa-4.0-scale
- https://www.goabroad.com/articles/highschool-study-abroad/why-take-spanish-in-high-school
- https://www.scholaro.com/db/Countries/Mexico/Education-System
- https://www.scholaro.com/db/Countries/Mexico/Grading-System
- https://d22dvihj4pfop3.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2016/10/30143347/ESP_Host_School_FAQ.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Mexico
- https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-say-ninth-grade-in-Spanish
- https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/what-is-a-passing-grade-in-college/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Mexico
- https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/high%20school%20student
- https://blog.dwellworks.com/schooling-in-mexico2
- https://www.linguee.com/english-spanish/translation/freshman+in+high+school.html
- https://www.allianzcare.com/en/support/health-and-wellness/my-expat-life/school-guides/schools-in-mexico.html