Education System

The Japanese educational system is based on six years of compulsory elementary school, three years of compulsory junior high school, three years of high school and four years at university.
Kindergartens and Nursery schools are available for children before entering elementary school.
In addition, there are junior colleges (two or three year curriculum), specialized vocational high schools (five years) and various vocational schools. There are national, prefectural and municipal schools, and private schools.
The school year begins April 1, and ends in March, and is divided into two terms: the first term is from April to the first ten days of October ,the second from the first ten days to March.

Nursery schools are facilities which provide necessary care for infants from birth to the age of five whose parents are unable to take care of them because of business or sickness and so on.
In Mishima, there are 7 municipal and 10 private and 1 union nursery schools. The fee is calculated according to citizen tax, fixed property tax and income tax.
In case of applying for entrance to nursery school, please file certificates which prove the impossibility of taking care of your children, necessary documents to decide the amount of the nursery fee (a withholding slip from your company etc.) and maternity passbook to Child Care Section in Child Welfare Division.
Inquires: Child Welfare Division (Mishima City Hall Main Building, first floor. TEL 983-2611) *Please have someone who can speak Japanese assist you.

Kindergarten is available for children before entering elementary school. In Mishima, there are 14 municipal and 6 private kindergartens. The age of entry is from four for the public (six public kindergarten accepts 3 year old children)and from three for the private kindergartens.
Please go through the formalities for entrance to the Management Division(General Affairs Division)of Board of Education in case of the municipal kindergartens, in each kindergarten in case of the private kindergartens.
Inquires: Management Division (School Education Division) in Mishima Board of Education (Mishima City Hall Chuocho Annex, second floor. TEL 983-2671) *Please have someone who can speak Japanese assist you.

In Mishima, there are 14 municipal elementary schools and 7 municipal junior high schools. Children can enter elementary school after they become six, junior high school after they become twelve.
You must have application forms for permission of school attendance, certificate of Alien Registration, passport in case of entrance formalities to elementary or junior high school.
School fees and textbooks are free in the case of public schools. Please go through the formalities for entrance to the School Education Division. Please obtain a certificate from the former school, and submit it to the designated school in your new residence.
Inquires: School Education Division in Mishima Board of Education (Mishima City Hall Chuocho Annex, second floor. TEL 983-2671) *Please have someone who can speak Japanese assist you.

Prefectural high schools will accept students of non-Japanese nationality provided that the applicants are 15 years or older with completion of nine years of formal schooling in Japan or abroad, and that they can pass the entrance exam.
Inquires: High School Education Division, Board of Education, Shizuoka Prefectural Office. TEL054-221-3110