Education System
Hogwarts is a school that offers a seven year education, from the time students are 11 years old until they are 17/18 years of age. Classes start 9 o’clock a.m. and end at 4 o’clock. The students can have four classes before lunch and four after. This varies from year to year.

Every student starts out in the first year with these subjects:

Astronomy - Where you study the planets, moons and stars of the solar system.
Charms - Where you learn spells and charms useful in everyday life.
Defence Against the Dark Arts - Where you learn about dark creatures and defensive spells. Dark magic is studied but not taught.
Flying Lessons - Held in first year only, students learn how to fly properly. It prepares students to be able to try for their house Quidditch team.
Herbology - Where you learn about magical plants and how to take care of them.
History of Magic - Where you learn about important wizarding history.
Potions - Where you learn to brew potions and how different ingredients affect the potion.
Transfiguration - Where you learn how to turn change objects, living or inanimate, into other items.

On tests, the scores you get are in percents and you need to pass every end of year exam to get to the next year. The teachers decide the books he or she wants to use and the teacher also sets the exams.

When students reach their third year they are able to choose two or more subjects in addition to the ones they already have. What they choose can have an effect on their later careers.

They can choose from:
Ancient Runes - The study and interpretation of runes and their use in magic.
Arithmancy - A type of divination with numbers and calculations.
Care of Magical Creatures - Where you learn about magical creatures and how to take care of them.
Divination - Where you learn different methods of divination such as tea leaves, planetary divination, card reading, orbs and palmistry.
Muggle Studies - Where you learn about the habits and lifestyle of Muggles.

When students come to the fifth year they sit their OWLs, Ordinary Wizarding Levels. It is a series of exams that decide what you can take of higher education, because in the next year the different classes have different requirements. It is the teachers of each class that set the requirements. The grades you receive are thus:

O - Outstanding
E - Exceeds Expectations
A - Acceptable
P - Poor
D - Dreadful
T - Troll

You can leave the school at the end of fifth year, though it limits your opportunities. The next two years the subjects you choose directly affect your future job, so students need to pick carefully.

The highest education Hogwarts offer is NEWTs, Nastily Exhausting Wizard Tests. You need NEWTs to get into the Ministry and other branches of work.

In the fifth year Prefects are chosen, one boy and one girl from each house. The Head Girl and Head Boy are chosen in the seventh year. The prefects and head girls and boys have the right to give and take points from a house. Prefects have their own bathroom and so do the head boy and girl. The students in these positions wear a badge that shows their position.