School

School is where children and teenagers attend to get education during those life stages. School appears in all of The Sims series, except in The Sims Castaway Stories. The school bus takes children and teens to and from school. In the first two games and The Sims 4, the school is located off-screen and is not visible to the player, just like careers. In The Sims 3, the school is a rabbit hole building.

The Sims
Children attend school every day from 9AM to 3PM, as there are no weekends in The Sims. However, they can skip a day by missing the school bus, though this usually requires player intervention. A child who misses the school bus will lose a full grade level. A baby who becomes a child after 8 AM will not be penalized for missing school, as the bus will not come for them until the next day.

Children can boost grades by studying from books or at a computer, but do not get homework. Since children don't grow up, the only eventual reward for good grades is a 100 Simoleon reward from their relatives. (Upon examination of the bookshelf using a hacking program, it is revealed that the presence of the bookshelf is what triggers the reward.)

Children whose grades linger at F for several consecutive days are first given a warning, then banished to military school. Since military school is only mentioned, and never appears in the game, children sent there are never seen again.

The Sims 2
Children attend elementary school (primary school) from 9 AM to 3 PM, and teens attend high school (secondary school) from 9 AM to 1 PM. The shorter hours for high school are for the benefit of teens who may also have a part-time job. Both children and teens get the weekend off, and both ages get homework which needs to be done in order to maintain and improve grades. Having an older Sim help the younger Sim with homework will let them complete the task faster in future, and they will gain the memory of learning to study.

Normally, a Sim's grade will increase from C to C+ on the first day of school, but it may increase to B+ if the Sim's first school day is not also his or her first day as a child. This may also happen if the child goes to school in a very good mood and with high aspiration. If both of these things happen, grades may jump all the way to A+, though this is uncommon. After the first day, Sims will gain a full letter grade if they go to school with all homework done, and in a good mood.

Sims go to school on the school bus. If teen or child Sims miss the bus, they will be penalized for missing a school day. If a car or helicopter is available, older Sims can take children and teens to school, and teens can go on their own. Apartment Life also gave child and teen Sims the ability to walk to school, even if a vehicle is not available. Sims who are walking, driving, or being driven to school must leave the lot less than one hour after school begins, otherwise they will be considered late.

Sims with higher grades may, as in The Sims, be in line for cash rewards from their relatives, as well as several other perks, since success in school fulfills high-value wants for themselves and their parents/grandparents. With The Sims 2: University, teen Sims with A or higher report cards can get the SimCity Scholar's Grant, a §1000 college scholarship.

Sims can also be enrolled in private school by inviting the headmaster and suitably impressing him with good food, a guided tour and the right social interactions. The hours are the same, but needs are put under less strain and all students change into a default school uniform before leaving for school. Public school and private school share the same school bus.

Random rewards can be dealt out around 30 game minutes before the end of a Sim's school day. They are worth bonus skill points for Sims at private school, or up to §250 cash at public school. If FreeTime is installed, children and teens may receive hobby chance cards at this time.

Children whose grades linger at F for several days may be taken away by the social worker and won't return to that particular family, but may be adopted by another one. Teens will not be taken away for an F grade, but if they have a job they will be fired regardless of their job performance and the number of days they have missed. They will also not be able to attend College until their grades improve.

If a child is adopted on a school day, he or she will get a free day off, and will not be penalized for missing school. This is because adopted children arrive at 10 AM, after the school bus has already left. However, if the child walks to school or is taken to school, he or she will be counted as having been late. Likewise, if a toddler becomes a child after 8 AM on a school day, he or she will get a free day off.

If Seasons is installed, children and teens may get a "snow day" if there is heavy snow on the ground in the morning. The school bus will not come on a snow day. If a car or helicopter is available, the "go to school" menu options will still be available, but students will not be penalized for not going to school.

It's possible for teens to get a fear of going to school. This happens when a teen has to watch over a baby or toddler when there's no adult on the lot.

The Sims 3
With the introduction of rabbit holes, players can now follow child and teen Sims to school on the lot its in. They will attend the school as long its present in the world; deleting it will stop the children from going to it. This is the only way to not go to school, and is only possible in Windows and Mac OS X as consoles do not have the ability. Also, if the player is controlling one ghost teen or child, they might not be signed up for a school. However, if the school is deleted then children and teens appear to be forced age up badly because they haven't been to school, but if an adult with a high enough logic skill tutors them, their grade can go up, and allow them to age up well without having to go to school. Aside from being the mandatory education institution for youth, children and older Sims can attend a one-hour Painting class. Sims can also apply for an Education career track or enroll in university from there.

Children attend Elementary School from 9:00am to 3:00pm, while teenagers attend High School from 9:00am to 2:00pm, the earlier finishing time exists to benefit teens who have part-time jobs, but if they don't have employment to go to after school; it provides a good opportunity to get their homework done and out of the way instead. The Elementary and High School share the same building. Children and teen may still bring home friends after school. They can also be invited over to another student's house to play. Students who go to each other's houses will live within a reasonable distance from each other. The closer the other student, the more likely the invitation is.

Unlike in previous games, players have more control over the actions in school. Children and teens can be directed to work hard, slack off, find new friends, hang out with them or do late (unfinished) homework. Kids can also be directed to skip school but doing so will hurt their school performance. If a child or teen does not have a high performance at school then the player will not be able to choose what their next trait is when they grow up. For the Sim to have good grades, they need to be at school on time every day, otherwise they will get bad grades and will not age up well. Children will bring home new homework after school every day; failure to complete homework will result in them being penalized, and they may receive a detention. Unlike preceding The Sims series, children are not taken away from their families for getting an F.

Detention is another new addition in the game, with Sims receiving it at school. If they are caught sleeping in class, copying homework (tasks the player can assign kids while they're at school) or busted when pranking the school (outside school hours), they will be kept behind after school for a few hours, which can interfere with any part-time job. The Sims are less likely to receive a detention if their grades are higher than a "B". While staying back late, the student can choose their tone but they will not see any improvement in grades or performance; however, if a Sims mood is low, their grade might decrease. When detention is over, the school bus will not bring Sims home.

In The Sims 3: Generations, children and teens can take a class after school. The expansion pack also provides a boarding school option, where children can be sent by parents (via players intervention) to abroad school that's of a different kind. Children will departure away from home (off the screen) until they become young adults or are returned by the player.

Opportunities

 * Received: School
 * Goal: Bring a fish to the Science lab
 * Reward: Performance Boost
 * Location: Science lab
 * Text: The Science Facility has partnered with the school to conduct a fishing project. However, they are running low on the fish for the experiment. You've been asked to bring a fish to Science Facility before the experiment begins. Your school performance will increase as a reward.


 * Received: School
 * Goal: Visit City Hall to complete the opportunity
 * Reward: Performance Boost
 * Location: City Hall
 * Text: Your teacher needs you to drop off a massive stack of permission slips at City Hall. This needs to happen quickly, so ride over to City Hall and leave them with the paper pushers. Your school performance will improve as a result of your kind assistance.


 * Received: School
 * Goal: Go to Work at Doo Peas Corporate Tower
 * Reward: Performance Boost, 500 Simoleons
 * Location: Doo Peas Corporate Tower
 * Text:


 * Received: School
 * Goal: Gain a Writing skill point
 * Reward: Performance Boost
 * Location: N/A
 * Text:


 * Received: School
 * Goal: Gain a Painting skill point
 * Reward: Performance Boost
 * Location: N/A
 * Text:


 * Received: School
 * Goal: Gain a Charisma skill point
 * Reward: Performance Boost
 * Location: N/A
 * Text: The Young Politicians Club wants you to join, but first you must improve your Charisma skill. Take a Charisma skill class or use an appropriate object, then return to school with your new knowledge. Your school performance will increase.


 * Received: School
 * Goal: Maintain good grades to get on the honor roll and earn a cash reward.
 * Reward: Money
 * Location: School
 * Text: The Mayor's office is promoting a new initiative to improve the grades and school performance to appeal to families thinking about moving to town. The mayor guarantees a cash reward to every student that makes it onto the honor roll. That reward can be yours if you can maintain good grades!


 * Outside Reading
 * Received: School
 * Goal: Read "Demand Exellence or You'll Get Mediocrity"
 * Reward: Performance Boost
 * Location: N/A
 * Text: Your teacher wants you to read "Demand Excellence or You'll Get Mediocrity", a book that should prepare you for your post-school career. Your school performance will improve after reading the book.


 * The Research Project
 * Received: School
 * Goal: Research Science Lab
 * Reward: Performance Boost
 * Location: Science Lab
 * Text: You have been given an assignment to research the local Science Facility. The folks in charge of the lab have generously offered to help you with your research if you stop by to get a tour of the facility in time. Go to the Science Facility to gather research to improve your school performance.


 * Clean the Bug Cage
 * Received: School
 * Goal: Clean the Bug Cage
 * Reward: Performance Boost
 * Location: School
 * Text:


 * The French Project
 * Received: School
 * Goal: Interview French local
 * Reward: Performance Boost
 * Location: France
 * Text:

The Sims 4
Schools make a come-back in The Sims 4, but not as rabbitholes like in The Sims 3. They're like jobs, as Sims will walk towards their lot's spawnpoint and disappear until school for that day is over.

Unlike The Sims 2, there aren't positive grades, such as A+, B+ or C+. In order for a child or teen sims to improve their grades, they'll have to go to school with a positive emotion (Focused is suggested as it says so in the school panel), completing their homework, doing extra credit work, working hard at class, and get extra performance boost from chance cards that randomly pop up while the Sim is still at school. These chance cards may give a large performance boost, a medium performance boost, a small performance boost, and the same goes for performance losses.

School starts at 8:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm, and if the Sim doesn't show up for school as expected, at around 9:00 am, their principal will call the Sim who is missing school and inform them that if they keep missing school, their grades will suffer. Even though the Sim is considered missing school by then, they can still be sent to school by selecting the Sim, clicking on them, and selecting "Go To School" (for kids) or "Go To High School" (for teens).

While the child/teen is at school, their options are, Normal (Default, neutral state), Slack Off (Leads to performance loss, fun gain, chance for a happy moodlet after school), Make Friends (Social gain, random notifications will appear saying the Sim met someone at school and no matter the Sim's age, they'll gain both teen and child friends that can later on be interacted with outside school if seen), Study hard (Performance need, lowers fun need, chance for a tense moodlet after school).

Also, while at school, Sims cannot get mortified, hysterical, or die. The needs that the Sim gains while at school are, social, fun and energy (if slacking off), and hunger.

The known schools available are the Landgraab Elementary and Buckingham High.

There are no disadvantages when a teen or a child has the lowest grade possible, except from an embarrassed moodlet.

If a child with the socially gifted trait, or a teen reach enough mischief skill, they can have a partner in crime, and plan with them to do mischievous things at school such as throwing geeks at the lockers, flooding the school, fill the class with plastic watercups, etc. If the prank succeeds, the Sim will get a +2 confident moodlet, but if it fails, they'll get a +2 embarrassed moodlet and performance loss.

To reach grade C when having an F grade, the Sim will need to get one skill to level one, to reach grade B they'll need to get one skill at level 2 at one skill, and to reach grade A the Sim must get level 4 at one skill.

While a child is doing homework, a parent or older Sim, even a teen, can help them with their homework, to give the child a +3 focused boost, and finish homework earlier, granding the Sim that helped the child a +3 confident moodlet. The homework will be at the child's inventory and can be ordered from the bookshelf. When the child ages to teen, the grade school homework will be replaced with High School homework in their inventory and as before, can be purchased from the bookshelf. A child or teen with grade B and up has a new interaction on the homework after finishing homework called "Do Extra Credit Work", which grands more performance gain from just doing homework. Children also benefit from having higher Skill levels when it comes to homework. Each Skill that they get to level 10 will increase the rate homework is done by 70%. When all 4 available child skills (Mental, Social, Motor and Creativity) are maxed, the child will finish their homework x8 times faster. And if they have a +2 focused moodlet and a parent helping them, they'll finish it x10 times faster.

Like in The Sims 3, if the player is controlling a ghost child or a teen, they wont go to school.

In The Sims 4: City Living, there's a new available lot trait called Good Schools, which will help teens and children with more school performance gain.

In The Sims 4: Parenthood, a child or teen can work on school projects with up to five Sims working on a single project. If finished successfully, the children and/or teens that helped make the project will gain a performance boost.

Trivia

 * In The Sims 2: Seasons, children and teens do not get summer holiday, but they will get a snow day when it snows heavily.
 * In The Sims 3: Seasons, children and teens do not have to go to school on Leisure Day, which can be considered to be their summer holiday.
 * In The Sims 4: Seasons, players can make holidays where children and teens don't have to go to school.
 * The names called during the graduation ceremony at city hall often sound like common names with the first letters of the first and last names switched, i.e. Geronica Vonzalez, Rant Grodiek.
 * The Gooder Public School in Starlight Shores is probably named after the Gooder family, a wealthy family from the same town. It's a little odd, considering it's a public school, and the family backstory doesn't seem to be associated with school nor education.
 * In The Sims 2 there is a glitch where using the aging on/off cheat may prevent Sims from getting a higher grade than C+.