New Trends in the Heated Middle School Entrance Exam Scene: Tough Schools Maintain High Competition, While Middle Tier Schools See Surging Popularity

The enthusiasm for junior high school entrance examinations in the Tokyo metropolitan area remains high. According to the Metropolitan Mock Trial Center, the number of students who took private and national junior high school entrance examinations in 2012 was approximately 52,400, down only 200 from the previous year, which was a record high. Although this was only 200 fewer than the previous year’s record high, the percentage of students taking the exam reached a record high of 18.12%. This means that approximately one out of every 4.7 sixth-grade students took the junior high school entrance exam.

While the number of applicants to “difficult” and “semi- difficult” schools with deviation scores in the 70s declined slightly or remained almost unchanged, the number of applicants to “mid-tier” schools increased significantly, a change not seen in the past. We would like to take a look at this “unusual” change that occurred in the 2012 entrance examinations for junior high schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Why did mid-tier schools increase the number of applicants?

According to Kazunari Kita, director of the Metropolitan Mock Trial Center and head of the Education Research Institute, “The increase in applicants from mid-tier schools is a rare trend. However, there are clear reasons for this. One reason is the enhancement of educational content.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announced in 2010 that the number of applicants to private mid-tier schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area had increased by 1,000 students per year. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology reviews the Courses of Study once every 10 years, and at that time, private integrated junior high and high schools also scrutinize their curriculum. More and more schools are evolving their curricula to meet the Ministry’s requirements, while at the same time brushing up their curricula and taking a step ahead of the competition.

Another characteristic of mid-tier schools is the strengthening of “high school-university cooperation. By signing cooperation agreements with famous universities, mid-tier schools that have expanded their recommendation quotas have greatly increased the number of applicants.

Kosei Gakuen for boys and Miwada Gakuen for girls had large increases

We would like to look at mid-tier schools that saw a significant increase in applicants. Among boys’ schools, Kosei Gakuen Junior High School in Suginami, Tokyo, had a total of 2,482 applicants, up 787 from the previous year, including all applicants for general global, general, and special scholarships.

Kosei Gakuen’s deviation score is located between 54 and 63 on the Metropolitan Mock Test Center. The school is rapidly shifting to a global education, including enhanced language education by native teachers.’ In October 2011, the school signed a high school-university partnership agreement with International Christian University. Along with global education, the school’s adoption of cutting-edge ICT education (education that makes full use of IT and digital technology) is also attracting attention.

Among girls’ schools, Miwada Gakuen in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, where the maximum number of students recommended by designated schools to Hosei University has been increased to 30, saw a significant increase in applicants from 1669 the previous year to 1909. The school has been steadily gaining popularity over the past few years.

The school has had a high school-university partnership agreement with Hosei University since 2003, and in September 2010, it was announced that the partnership would be expanded to include the establishment of a designated school recommendation system. Other high school and university partnerships with Akita International University, Tsuda College, and Tokyo Women’s University have been used to strengthen English language skills and international understanding education.

The number of schools entering into new high school-university partnership agreements is on the rise, and this trend is likely to continue. In addition, Hosen Gakuen Junior & Senior High School (co-ed) Science & Mathematics Intermediate School in Nakano, Tokyo, became affiliated with Juntendo University in April of this year. The school has always had a high-school-university partnership, but the new affiliation has become a hot topic because it allows several students each year to enter the medical school internally. The trend of mid-tier schools gaining popularity due to high school-university cooperation is likely to continue with next year’s entrance examinations.

Parents’ Values Becoming “Multi-Layered

In the Tokyo metropolitan area, students aiming to enter difficult-to-enter junior high schools often attend SAPIX, which boasts a high track record of success. However, the number of students who start attending cram schools as early as their first year has been increasing, and the number of students who start attending cram schools as early as their first year has been increasing.

At the same time, Kita points out, “There is a multilayered trend,” with some students aiming for integrated public junior and senior high schools and others aiming for schools that are strong in overseas advancement.

There are an increasing number of families who are willing to take the entrance exam for any school they can take along with their favorite lessons or sports. It can be said that there is a shift from a polarization between “difficult schools” and “other schools” to a multilayered approach. The percentage of students who enter universities through recommendation or internal advancement is increasing, and it is no longer unusual for students to enter famous universities from middle-ranked schools. Today’s private junior high school education is flexible. It is highly likely that the image of junior high school entrance examinations held by the generation of parents and those who have older children and experienced junior high school entrance examinations as parents about three to four years ago have also changed significantly. If there is a school you are interested in, I would like you to go to an information session or otherwise check the latest situation before deciding which school to apply to.”

Private junior high schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area are rapidly evolving their educational content. It would seem that it is necessary to obtain the latest information to choose a school.