Parents' Column | Soroban
Is Junior High Too Late for Soroban?
Aim for 3rd Kyu alongside Club Activities
The answer is “not too late.” Junior high students understand quickly and make steady progress in soroban (Japanese abacus) even once a week. The goal: 3rd kyu, a grade you can write on a résumé. How to fit it in with club activities, how many years it takes, how it differs from children who started in elementary school, and how to begin, from our classroom experience.
Why “junior high is too late” is a misunderstanding
Because the image of soroban as “something you start when small” is so strong, parents of junior high students often ask us, “It’s too late now, isn’t it?” But in our classrooms, students who start in junior high reach their first kyu 3–4 times faster than a first grader. They already understand what carrying and borrowing mean, so once they learn how to move the beads (the “friends of 10” and so on), they can go straight into calculation.
It is true that, in speed, it is hard to catch up with the “beads floating in the head” mental math of children who have continued since they were small. But that is not the goal for a junior high student. Practicing to focus and finish accurately, and a visible qualification (a kyu grade): these two are fully within reach even when starting in junior high.
What junior high students gain from soroban
- A habit of concentrating in a short time: the busier a student’s studies, the more the practice of “a set amount, in a set time, accurately” helps. It also helps with pacing on school exams.
- Fewer calculation mistakes: math is a subject where calculation errors easily cost points. When students can picture numbers as amounts, they notice when “the number of digits looks wrong.”
- A 3rd kyu to write on a résumé: soroban 3rd kyu or higher is one thing students can use to present themselves in the school report sent with high school applications. Schools treat it differently, so it is not a guarantee, but the simple fact of “I kept at it and earned it” becomes an experience they can talk about in interviews and essays.
- Performing under pressure: kyu exams are timed and taken in a quiet classroom. Students experience the same atmosphere as the real entrance exam, many times over.
How many years to 3rd kyu? How it differs from children who started earlier
| Grade when starting | Time to 3rd kyu (once a week) | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1–2 | 3–5 years | Slow and steady. Tend to become good at mental math |
| Grade 4–6 | 2–3 years | Understand quickly and soon catch up with younger children |
| Junior high | 1–2 years | Straight into calculation once they learn the bead movements. Depending on motivation, some get there in a year |
* These are only guidelines. They vary with practice and each student’s pace.
The difference from children who have continued since elementary school is in “speed of mental math” and “the feeling of the fingers moving on their own.” Students who start in junior high spend longer thinking while they move the beads. In exchange, they progress while understanding why the beads move that way, so their skill is less likely to fall apart after they move up the grades.
Fitting it in with club activities and cram school
Kodomo School classrooms use a “free-time” system: students come once a week, at any time within the lesson hours (usually 16:10–18:30; some classrooms start at 15:40 — please ask the head office for details). Students can come after club activities and stay for 60 minutes. Homework is not compulsory and can be adjusted with the teacher, so it fits easily with cram school and clubs.
- Fix the day of the week: deciding “Tuesday is soroban” makes it easier to coordinate with the club schedule.
- Take a break before exams: there are make-up lessons and a system for taking a break. Talk to the teacher.
- Set milestones: plan with the teacher to finish before entrance exams, such as “4th kyu by the summer of Grade 8, 3rd kyu by the spring of Grade 9.”
How to start, and the cost
| Who | Grades 7–9, including students about to start Grade 7 (beginners welcome) |
|---|---|
| Lessons | Once a week, 60 minutes (within classroom hours, after club activities) |
| Monthly tuition | ¥5,500 (tax included). Plus a facility fee of ¥1,100 / month (incl. insurance), an enrollment fee of ¥4,800, and materials fees |
| What to bring | Writing supplies and a soroban (we recommend 23 rods) |
| Trial lesson | Free, about 20 minutes. Apply from the junior high application page |
Students who learned a little in elementary school remember it within the first few lessons. Complete beginners are taught from the basics by the teacher.
FAQ
If my child starts in the spring of Grade 9, can they get 3rd kyu before entrance exams?
It depends on how much they practice, but some junior high students have reached 3rd kyu in a year. First, talk with the teacher at the trial lesson and make a realistic plan. Even a 4th kyu is an experience of “I kept at it and earned it” that they can talk about.
Is it okay if my child is weak at math?
Yes. Soroban is practice in the four basic operations, so it is separate from functions and geometry in math. In fact, many students find their math scores become steadier because they make fewer calculation mistakes.
Won’t they feel out of place in a classroom full of elementary children?
Because of the free-time system, they can come at a different time. Many junior high students come in the later part of the hours. The teacher also takes care with seating and tasks.
Can they continue in high school?
Kodomo School classrooms are for students up to junior high. If your child wants to aim for dan grades, please talk to the head office.
It’s never too late to start. Let’s aim for 3rd kyu together!
About the author
Taito MoritaFounder & principal of Kodomo School (Morita Group Co., Ltd.)
He carries on the Morita Juku founded in Toyohashi in 1972. Through soroban, calligraphy and art at about 90 classrooms in Aichi and Shizuoka and at our Hanoi school in Vietnam, he helps children build the strength to believe in themselves. He also gives talks and seminars on education.
Message from our founderTalks & seminarsUpdated: October 12, 2026
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