Korean Adoptee Life - An Introduction to Korean Public School
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Introduction
South Korea requires children to complete schooling through middle school (Korean: 중학교 3학년). This is similar to completing through grade 9 or until ages 14-15. High school attendance is not required (Korean: 고등학교 1-3학년). While there are a variety of private schools within Korea offering instruction in languages besides Korean, the cost to attend these schools may be prohibitively expensive. Tuition for private school can be in the range of KRW 20 Million per year or even higher. Therefore, you may want to consider enrolling your children in public school as it is a much more affordable option.
Korean Language Requirement
There is no explicit Korean language requirement for enrolling children in public school. Bear in mind the language of instruction will be Korean for all subjects (foreign language classes could be an exception but could still be taught by Korean teachers). Note that communication with parents/guardians will also be in Korean.
If you would like to gain some exposure to Korean with your children, the Seoul Global Center offers a mother and child storytelling class twice a year.
Enrollment Process
Korean citizens receive notices in the mail when their children become school age. However, as a foreigner you will not necessarily receive such a notice. In order to inform your local neighborhood that you need to enroll a child in school you need to submit the following to your local community center (주민센터/동사무소).
Required Documentation
After this process, you should receive a notice from the schools your child is valid for enrollment in. There is no fee for initial enrollment, however, schools have a series of fees regarding meals, supplies, and field trips. These are normally paid monthly or once a semester. Once you enroll your child in a school, the school will directly communicate with you regarding fees, academic schedule, and any other information.
Vaccinations
Below are the required vaccinations for enrolling children in primary school in Korea:
Uniforms
Public elementary school students do not have uniforms (교복/학생복) but from middle school, uniforms are required, even in public school. Uniforms are sold by major uniform brands (IVY CLUB, SMART, SCHOOL LOOKS, ELITE) and can run anywhere from KRW 150,000-250,000 for the summer uniform and KRW 250,000-500,000 for the winter uniform. Physical education uniforms (체육복) are also required and cost around KRW 40,000. You can also find used uniforms at second-hard shops (아름다운 가게 is a popular second-hand shop in Korea).
Photo of the fall/spring season uniforms of Bundang High School students. The emblem and button design are copyright Bundang High School, Bundang, Korea.
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license versions 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, and 1.0.
Photo of the fall/spring season uniforms of Bundang High School students. The emblem and button design are copyright Bundang High School, Bundang, Korea.
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license versions 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, and 1.0.
Sample Schedule of School Fees
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Meals (급식 초등학생 기준) KRW 40,000-60,000 per month
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Milk (우유) KRW 10,000 per month (In some provinces this fee has been eliminated)
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Textbooks (교과서) KRW 20,000-30,000 (One book is KRW 500-2,000) once per semester
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Day trip (체험학습) KRW 10,000-60,000, usually one day, twice per year.
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Field trip (수학여행) KRW 200,000-500,000, usually takes place in grade 5 or grade 6. 3 nights or 4 nights in duration depending on the school. Elementary students will travel domestically and middle school students may travel abroad.
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After school activity (방과 후 학습) KRW 40,000-100,000, could include activities such as English, arts & crafts, writing, etc. Fee is usually paid twice per semester.
Semester Structure
Korean public schools utilize a semester system with the first term of the year starting in March.
The spring semester normally runs from March to July while the fall semester runs from August to February. Summer break is approximately one month starting from the middle of July while winter break starts during December and ends in January. Schools observe all Korean national holidays and also may have other short breaks during the semester (Spring break for example). However, during the summer and winter breaks, schools often run academic camps.
Grade Progression
Students progress from grade to grade regardless of academic achievement; rather, grade progression is normally based on attendance. However, certain high schools may require an entrance exam depending on if they have a specialization (art, foreign language, etc). Even though academic achievement does not determine if students progress from grade to grade, class rankings will still be documented. The school may recommend children redo a grade but has no authority to force a child to do so.
Notes About Public School Daily Life
Students attend school Monday through Friday. Up until recently, students also went to school for a half day every other Saturday.
Students usually do not change classrooms during the school day. Instead, teachers will rotate through classrooms to teach subjects.
Students are in charge of keeping their classroom and school grounds clean and tidy. This means emptying the garbage, cleaning desks, sweeping, etc.
Students and teachers alike are usually given rice, soup, banchan (side dishes, like kimchi), and maybe some protein or fruit. Many students and teachers keep toothbrushes at school so they can brush after meals.
Shoes worn outdoors are not worn inside the school. Indoor slippers/sandals are worn.
Extracurricular Activities
As mentioned previously, after school programs can provide some extracurricular activities. Students may also participate in other after school activities at private academies (학원) or places like Taekwondo (태권도) schools, music schools, etc. Public schools vary in their extracurricular activities offered for students. Check with your specific local public schools on their offerings.
Transportation
Normally, public school students attend schools that are close enough to their homes that they are able to walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation to and from school. Transportation provided by public schools is rare. Crossing guards assist students at major intersections near schools.
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