School districts in Columbus, Ohio, and Berkeley, Calif., establish the nation’s first junior high schools, pushed by educational reformers who want to diversify children’s education and provide teenagers with a smoother transition between elementary school and high school.
Typically, the elementary school is reduced to six years. Junior high is grades 7 and 8, and senior high is grades 9 through 12. Today, some public schools have expanded middle schools to include grades 6 or 9 or have returned grades 7 and 8 to elementary schools.