School Year:

Term begins on September 1st. Students usually reach Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express, which leaves from Platform 9¾ of London's King's Cross Station at 11 a.m. sharp.
There seemed to be other ways of entering the school, such as via brooms or Floo powder, or simply Apparating to a nearby location such as Hogsmeade. Missing the Hogwarts Express for any reason is a very serious problem but will not cost the student points as long as they get there before the term has officially started.
The Hogwarts Express brings the students to Hogsmeade Station, where the first years traditionally cross the Black Lake in boats with the gamekeeper, and go under an opening in the rocks upon which Hogwarts is built, through a curtain of ivy, and finally into an underground harbour.

Older students travel on the road in carriages pulled by thestrals to the castle (the thestrals are generally invisible to students except those who have witnessed death). The Welcoming Feast takes place in the Great Hall. This feast includes the Sorting ceremony, followed by a few words from the current Headmaster, the banquet starts after this, including large quantities of food and drink. The feast is closed with a few more words from the Headmaster, but it also included the usual "start-of-term notices".

After dinner, students are led to their House common room by a prefect. This is a special time for new students to get comfortable with their surroundings, because the next day classes begin, September 2nd. The class schedules are handed out during breakfast by the Heads of House. After two weeks of classes, the Quidditch team trials and flying lessons for the first years usually occur.

Hogwarts' school year is structured in a similar way to other non-magical schools and colleges in the UK, with a three-term year punctuated by holidays at Christmas and Easter and bounded by the long summer holiday of nine weeks. Students have the option of staying at Hogwarts for the winter and spring holidays. Those who choose to stay at the castle do not have lessons and attend a feast on Christmas Day. Students also do not have classes the week of Easter, but this is much less enjoyable due to the large amount of work that the teachers assign students at this time in preparation for final exams.

Other than the breaks and weekends, students do not receive holidays. However, students third year and above may visit Hogsmeade, the local village, occasionally. There are normally four feasts per year: the start-of-term feast at the beginning of the school year, end-of-term feast at the end of the school year, and feasts at Halloween and Christmas. Feasts are also called to mark special occasions, as in Goblet of Fire, when there was a feast to celebrate the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Classes will proceed normally and the next notable event occurs on the evening of October 31st: the Halloween feast. Decorations include giant pumpkins and flocks of hundreds of bats flying across the halls. The served foods include pumpkin treats, tarts, cakes and all sorts of magical sweets. The Quidditch season starts usually with the first Quidditch match in the first weeks of November. In the second week of December, the Deputy Head takes names of those who are staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas holidays. The first term usually ends about a week before Christmas and most of the students and some of the teachers go home by the school train.
In Triwizard Tournament years, the Yule Ball occurs on the evening of Christmas Eve, ending at midnight. On December 25, a Christmas feast is held in the Great Hall. Shortly after January 1st, the Hogwarts Express returns to Hogsmeade; the second term begins. The exact dates of the beginning of the Easter holidays vary every year. During these holidays, the students may go home. The final exams are held the first week of June and the results come out on the second week. In the evening before the Hogwarts Express goes back to London, the End-of-Term Feast is held. The Hogwarts Express returns to London during the third week of June. All staff and students leave Hogwarts during the summer except for the caretaker and gamekeeper.

Subjects:

Hogwarts has in its faculty an abundance of wise and talented professors. Each specialises in a specific subject. Other staff positions include that of school nurse, caretaker, librarian, and Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. There are a variety of classes taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These include both the core curriculum and the electives, available from third year forward. Some classes may be dropped in sixth year.

Numerous lessons are described, instructing the students in various branches of magic. Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Herbology are compulsory subjects for the first five years. At the end of their second year, students are required to add at least two optional subjects to their syllabus for the start of the third year. The five choices are Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies.



• Transfiguration
• Defence Against the Dark Arts
• Charms
• Potions
• Astronomy
• Arithmancy
• Study of Ancient Runes
• History of Magic
• Herbology
• Divination
• Care of Magical Creatures
• Muggle Studies
• Flying
• Ghoul Studies
• Alchemy
• Apparition
• Art
• Muggle Art
• Music
• Magical Theory

Grading System:

Grading on routine homework seems to be along the same lines as that for Muggle students. Hogwarts students also have difficult exams as they progress higher in the system. O.W.L.s, or Ordinary Wizarding Levels, are a set of standardised tests for fifth year students which determine what courses a student may continue to study in their final years at Hogwarts. N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) are optional levels of education for exceptional students, much like A levels for Muggle students. To progress to N.E.W.T. level, students must receive certain high marks on O.W.L. exams. N.E.W.T tests occur at the end of the seventh year and cannot be retaken.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Grading System:

• O = Outstanding (Pass, always continue to N.E.W.T.)
• E = Exceeds Expectations (Pass, usually continues to N.E.W.T.)
• A = Acceptable (Pass, rarely continue to N.E.W.T)
• P = Poor (Fail, may repeat subject)
• D = Dreadful (Fail, may not receive O.W.L. credit)
• T = Troll (Fail, with distinction. More than one T may mean refusal into other N.E.W.T.s)

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Student years:

 

First Year: A first year is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is new to Hogwarts and in their first year of magical education. First years are typically eleven to twelve years of age. First years arrive at the castle by crossing the lake with the Keeper of the Keys in boats separate from the older students. They are not allowed to have a broomstick on their own, and to be on their broomsticks unless they are attending Flying class. An exception had been made for Harry Potter as he joined the Gryffindor House Team. First year classes consist of Potions, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Astronomy, Charms,and Flying.



Second Year: A second year is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is in their second year of magical education. Second years are typically twelve to thirteen years of age, unless a student had to repeat the second form. The second year is the first year in which students are allowed, when arriving, to go with the rest of the school in the school carriages pulled by Thestrals up to the castle. Second year classes consist of Potions, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Astronomy and Charms. Unlike first years', the second-years' timetable does not include Flying, although they are allowed to bring their own broomsticks. At the end of the year, second year students choose two or more classes they wish to study as electives the following year.



Third Year: A third year is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is in their third year of magical education. Third years are typically thirteen to fourteen years of age. The third year is an important one for students, as it is the first year that they are permitted to sit elective courses. Third year classes consist of Potions, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Astronomy, Charms, and the two or more electives the student chose the previous year. Third years are permitted to go to Hogsmeade during certain weekends if they have a signed permission form from their parent/guardian.



​Fourth Year: A fourth year is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is in their fourth year of magical education. Fourth years are typically fourteen to fifteen years of age. The fourth form is almost identical in its structure to the third; students sit two or more elective courses in addition to the core classes, and are allowed in Hogsmeade during selected weekends. Fourth year classes consist of Potions, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Astronomy, Charms, and two or more electives. Although, fourth years typically get more work than third years, to prepare for their O.W.L.s.



Fifth Year: A fifth year is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is in their fifth year of magical education. Fifth years are typically fifteen to sixteen years of age. The fifth year is enormously important for students, due to the fact that it is the year in which they must sit their O.W.L. exams, which will determine what N.E.W.T. courses they will be permitted to take later on in their education. O.W.L.s determine what jobs they can apply for in their future careers. The fifth year is also the year in which students receive career counselling from their Heads of House. It is during this meeting that they will be advised as to what N.E.W.T.-level classes they should take in order to qualify for their desired career. Fifth year classes consist of Potions, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Astronomy, Charms, and two or more electives. Before the beginning of the year, one boy and one girl are selected by the Headmaster from each House to become prefects.



​Sixth Year: A sixth year is a student who is in his or her sixth year of magical education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sixth years are typically sixteen to seventeen years of age, although some may be older, if they have had to repeat a year like Marcus Flint did.

The sixth year is the first year in which students sit N.E.W.T.-level classes. Based on their O.W.L. scores, and depending on the minimum requirements of the professor teaching the subject at that time, students are allowed to sit any number of classes as long as they meet said requirements. If the student doesn't meet those requirements, they cannot attend the N.E.W.T.-level classes, having to repeat the O.W.L.-level classes and the fifth-year exams. While students do have the opportunity to choose whether they wish to continue in particular subjects, those who begin studying N.E.W.T.-level subjects in their sixth year are expected to carry on with the subject into the seventh year, and sit the N.E.W.T. exam in that subject. Sixth year students are initially excited to have more free time, but this extra time is intended to help them study and do homework, as many, if not all, teachers assign more homework and give more difficult lessons in their N.E.W.T.-level classes. Sixth years may also elect to take part in Apparition lessons for a fee of twelve Galleons.



​Seventh Year: A seventh year is a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who is in their seventh and final year of formal magical education. Seventh years are typically seventeen to eighteen years of age, although some may be older if they have had to repeat a year. The seventh year contains the most important exams given at Hogwarts - the N.E.W.T.s. Students conclude their N.E.W.T.-level studies in the seventh year, at the end of which they sit the N.E.W.T. exam pertaining to each of their subjects. A student in the seventh year would have the same schedule he or she had in the sixth year, and would sit only those classes in which they received O.W.L.s meeting the minimum requirement of the professor for that subject. However, not all students take N.E.W.T.s, as some occupations require only O.W.L.s.

Every year, a male and female seventh year are appointed Head Boy and Head Girl. In most cases the Headmaster selects the Head students from the seventh year prefects. However students that have never been prefects, for example James Potter, can still be selected.





Daily routines at Hogwarts: 

The day begins at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast in the Great Hall. During breakfast, the mail arrives in a flurry of hundreds of owls. A bell chime signals the start of the first class at 9 a.m. The bell chimes again in one hour to signal the start of the next class.

There are four class periods before lunch (though NEWT student may have breaks during some of these), scheduled according to house. After lunch, there is another break and two more classes.

Supper is served in the Great Hall towards evening, after which the students are expected to be in their House common rooms for studying and socialising.

There is an Astronomy class at night on Wednesday every week (usually midnight).

The students must be in bed or in the common rooms by a certain time, after which is called after hours. The times are different for different years (for example, fifth years are allowed to be in the halls until 9:00)