Gujo Hachiman Junior High School

As we entered the building, we were greeted by students waving from the walkway. Gujo Hachiman Junior High School has 3 levels of grades - they call them 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade (equivalent to our 7th, 8th, and 9th grades). This school has 392 students and 35 teachers. The third graders (9th graders) work very hard because this is their year to take high school entrance exams to determine if they can get into the high school of their choice. One of the teachers told me that most 3rd graders have homework every night, then they go to "cram school", which is preparing them for the high school entrance exams, at least twice a week.