Escalator school

School that offers education from primary or middle until university

An escalator school (エスカレーター学校, esukareitā gakkō)^[1] (also esukareitā kō (エスカレーター校) and esukareita kō (エスカレータ校))^[2] is an educational school that offers education from elementary or middle (or even from the kindergarten) until university. Escalator schools are so called because students usually rise to the next grade without having to take entrance exams. While many Western private schools are this way, escalator schools are far more prevalent in Japan and in the Philippines than in other countries.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Escalator schools are commonly found in anime and manga, as they are a quick and easy explanation for having characters of very different ages in the same school-like setting realistically.

Examples in pop culture

Ohtori Academy in Revolutionary Girl Utena.
CLAMP Academy in CLAMP School Detectives.
Mugen Gakuen and T*A Private Girls School in Sailor Moon.
- T*A Private Girls School is based on the real-world escalator school Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin.^[7]
Mahora Academy in Mahou Sensei Negima.
Ouran Academy in Ouran High School Host Club.
Saki Girls' School in Joshi Kousei.
Eitoku Academy in Boys Before Flowers.
Kuoh Academy in High School DxD.
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters/Xavier Academy in the comic book, cartoon and theatrical versions of the X-Men. Xavier's "escalator" goes one step higher, since most of the instructors are former students who seamlessly moved into their new roles.
Sayaka Kudo's high school in Flying Colors (2015 film).

References

^ WWWJDIC entry for エスカレーター学校
^ WWWJDIC entry for エスカレーター校; エスカレータ校
^ Ishikida, Miki (2005). "Japanese Education in the 21st Century". iUniverse. p. 93. Retrieved May 19, 2020 – via Google Books.
^ Wray, Harry (1999). Japanese and American Education: Attitudes and Practices. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 140. ISBN 9780897896528. Retrieved May 19, 2020 – via Google Books.
^ Timsit, Annabelle (January 13, 2018). "Overhauling Japan's High-Stakes University-Admission System". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
^ Teru Clavel (February 16, 2014). "Prepping for university straight from the crib". The Japan Times. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
^ "Why Did Rei Go to a Christian School?". Tuxedo Unmasked. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2023. As we discussed previously, Toyo Eiwa Junior High School / High School is the basis for Rei's school, TA Gakuin.