Elevator School: Difference between revisions

 

Normally in Japan, elementary school, junior high, and high school are separate institutions, and require prospective students to pass rigid entrance examinations at each transition, as well as when applying to college. Elevator schools, however, allow students to move to the next educational level (junior high, high-school, college) without having to take the standard entrance exams. (In particular, they allow students to bypass the notoriously hellish high-school entrance examinations.) Ironically, elevator schools often themselves require students to pass an examination to gain admission.

 

Narratively, this provides a quick and easy way to realistically have characters of very different ages in the same school-like setting. Ironically, not a trope necessarily used to explain away lazy students. Not to be confused with [[Wayside School]], where nobody uses the elevators anyway.

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* Ohtori Academy in ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'' teaches kindergartners through at least high school.

* The CLAMP School, the main setting of ''[[CLAMP School Detectives]]'' and making a cameo in ''[[X 1999]]'', includes all grades from kindergarten through college.

* Mahora Academy in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' is an elevator school (starting from ''preschool''), but a condition of Negi's continuing employment (and thus receiving his magic license) is that he must get the class exam averages up—specifically those of the five worst students, the self-proclaimed "[[Baka]] Rangers".

* Ouran Academy in ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]''.

* Saki Girls School in ''[[Girls High]]''

* The Sakurakaoka Academy in ''[[Kamichama Karin]]'' seems to have at least an elementary branch and a middle school branch.

* [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Gakuen Alice]] from ''[[Gakuen Alice]]'' is one of these.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Anime Settings]]

[[Category:School Tropes]]