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Tenth grade is a year of education in many nations.

The tenth grade is the tenth school year after kindergarten and is called Grade 10 in some regions. Students are usually 15–16 years old. It is a part of secondary school and in some parts of the USA it is the first year of high school. The English equivalent is Year 11. Usually, this is when children would leave compulsory education.

High school is often used instead of senior high school and distinguished from junior high school. Starting in ninth grade and ending in twelfth grade, grades are used in determining a student’s GPA, and become part of a student’s official transcript. Future employers or colleges may want to see steady improvement in grades and a good attendance record on the official transcript.^{[citation needed]} Therefore, students obtain much more control of their education and often may even choose their core classes.

For mathematics curriculum, tenth graders are usually taught Algebra II and/or Geometry as well as preparing students for pre-calculus and calculus.

For social studies curriculum, US History which starts at Colonization Era and Ends at Early 20th Century is taught. In some districts, Advanced Placement coursework, such as geography or European History, is first made available to students in this grade.

While normally followed by eleventh grade, some colleges will accept excelling students out of this grade as part of an early college entrance program.

Tenth grade is also known as sophomore year. The word sophomore is ultimately from the Greek word "sophia", meaning wisdom or knowledge. It is listed as a North American English term by the Oxford English Dictionary [1] and it means little to the majority of English speakers outside North America. Use in literature aimed at an international audience should be considered carefully.

The Seconde, like the American and Canadian Grade 10, is the sophomore year for French high school students.

In Northern Territory, Australia it is the first year of high school. 10th grade is considered upper classman.