Philippines K-12

Overview

The K to 12 Basic Education Program is the national curriculum that the Department of Education (DepEd) runs for public and private schools across the Philippines. It covers one year of Kindergarten plus 12 years of schooling: six years of elementary, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School (SHS). The program is built around standards and competencies for each subject and grade level rather than a single qualifying exam, and it is compulsory for children to complete it as part of basic education. DepEd is also phasing in a revised curriculum for Kindergarten through Grade 10, known as the MATATAG curriculum, starting with Kindergarten and Grades 1, 4 and 7 in school year 2024-2025, with the remaining grades following in later years.

Who it covers

The K to 12 curriculum applies to every child in the Philippine basic education system, in both public schools (which follow it directly under DepEd) and private schools (which DepEd requires to follow the same curriculum, alongside any additional offerings they choose to run). Kindergarten is the mandatory entry stage before a child can be enrolled in Grade 1. There is no separate registration or entrance exam for the curriculum itself; children are enrolled by their parents or guardians at a school, and progress from grade to grade as part of normal schooling.

Structure

Kindergarten

One year for five-year-olds, the mandatory entry point into basic education.

Elementary (Grades 1-6)

Six years covering core subjects such as Mother Tongue, Filipino, English, Mathematics, Science, Araling Panlipunan (social studies), Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (values education), Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health, and Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (home economics and livelihood education) in the later grades.

Junior High School (Grades 7-10)

Four years continuing the core subjects from elementary, with Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan giving way to Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE), where students are introduced to exploratory TLE courses that lead into the Senior High School Technical-Vocational-Livelihood track.

Senior High School (Grades 11-12)

Two years built around a common Core Curriculum plus a track a student chooses based on their post-Grade 10 plans:

Every SHS student also completes Work Immersion, exposure to an actual workplace related to their track or strand, as one of the requirements for graduation.

Marking and results

Within each grade, teachers compute subject grades each quarter from written work, performance tasks and a quarterly assessment; the quarterly grades combine into a final grade that decides whether a student is promoted to the next grade. DepEd also runs the National Achievement Test (NAT) at selected grade levels, including Grade 6, as a system-wide check on learning outcomes across subjects; unlike the quarterly school grades, NAT results are a diagnostic tool for DepEd, schools and teachers rather than a pass/fail exam that decides an individual student's promotion.

After Senior High School

A DepEd-recognised SHS Track Certificate of Completion, along with a student's Form 137/138 school records, is what a graduate presents when applying onward. Academic-track graduates typically go on to college, with their chosen strand (for example STEM or ABM) commonly expected by universities for related degree programs. TVL-track graduates can seek a National Certificate from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) based on the competencies in their strand, which supports entry into middle-level skilled work, in addition to being free to apply to college like any other graduate. Sports and Arts and Design graduates likewise can proceed to related college programs, further training, or work in their field.

Preparation tips

• Decide on an SHS track and strand based on what you want to do after Grade 10 (a college course, a skilled trade, sports or the arts), since the track shapes both your Grade 11-12 subjects and what comes after.

• Treat quarterly written work and performance tasks as seriously as any single test, since the final grade that decides promotion is built up across the whole quarter, not from one exam.

• Keep your Work Immersion placement related to your SHS track or strand, since it is a graduation requirement meant to connect classroom learning to real workplace exposure.

• If your school has started the MATATAG curriculum for your grade level, follow the materials your teachers give you for that curriculum rather than assuming the older curriculum guide still applies.

FAQs