Hogwarts Classes Schedule Explained

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Lacey Jackson

Lacey jumped into the world of Harry Potter in her 20s. She quickly found herself immersed in the storyline and the emotions explored in the books and movies. A proud Gryffindor she's not afraid to share her opinion while giving you the best information on the Wizarding Worlds lore, merch, and characters!

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Students who are lucky enough to attend Hogwarts take many of the same basic classes their first and second year, after which they get a little more control over the electives in which they participate. This mirrors my experience, at least in high school, and that of many of my friends from other states.

Near the end of the 5th year, students take their O.W.L. exams, after which they are given career advice based on that information, something very similar to many European school systems, especially the German school system, which sorts children into their career fields, career fields in which they will remain for the rest of their lives, midway through high school. 

In the 7th and final year, students take their N.E.W.T exams, which heavily mirrors the exit exam I had to take in high school, although in that case, we were able to start taking it our sophomore year and continue taking it as many times as possible until we passed. 

Hogwarts Classes Schedule Explained

Below you can see the classes that were generally required for all years at Hogwarts:

Ordinary Wizarding Levels

At the end of the 5th year, students must take the O.W.L. exams, standardized tests across all subjects. There is a practical and theoretical portion, so there is a written and hands-on test for each class, although a single score is given for the collective grades received on both tests.

Possible grades are as follows:

(Passing grades)

• Outstanding (O)
• Exceeds Expectations (E)
• Acceptable (A)

(Failing grades)

• Poor (P)
• Dreadful (D)
• Troll (T)

Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests

At the end of a student’s 7th or final year, they have to take their N.E.W.T. exams which are standardized tests administered for all of the classes that are given student has taken. They have similar written and hands-on portions with the same marks available as the O.W.L. exams. 

Daily Routine for Hogwarts Students

No matter their year or schedule, daily routines remain relatively the same for all students. All students come down to the great hall for breakfast first thing. During breakfast, owls arrive with the morning mail. A bell signals the start of the first class at 9:00 in the morning.

Students, after which they go to lunch in the great hall and then enjoy a short break. Classes resume at 1:00 in the afternoon after lunch. After all classes are over, dinner is served in the Great Hall, and students are free to go back to their rooms, study, or socialize.

The table below shows a general week for Harry Potter his first through fourth year:

The table below shows a general week for Harry Potter in his fifth year:

Hogwarts Classes Explained

Hogwarts offers several classes, each covering unique aspects of the magical world. Flying was taught to first-year students as a particular class.

Below are the required classes:

Charms

Charms classes cover various spells that people can perform to create specific effects or actions. Charms are where individuals learn how to move their wands, pronounce the incantations, and practice all levels of spells.

Potions

Potions focused on the subtle science of mixing different liquids to achieve spells and magical effects. This was the class that required a cauldron and several steps to brew various potions.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration focuses on transforming or changing the appearance of objects and changing them back.

This included making things vanish and conjuring them out of thin air, making things switch places, and transforming yourself into other appearances like different eyebrows, hair color, or overall features.

Defense against the Dark Arts

Defense against the dark arts is designed to teach students how to defend themselves against the dark arts, but in some years, students only learned theory, and in other years, they learned practical applications, including things like dueling.

Herbology

In herbology, students studied magical plants, how to care for them, how to use them, and their magical properties. All these classes took place in the greenhouses behind Hogwarts Castle, and the plants became more dangerous and challenging to manage each year.

History of Magic

History of Magic studied the lengthy history of the Wizarding World with lectures on things like witch hunts, Wars with the giants, rebellions from the goblins, and the international statute of Wizarding secrecy. 

Astronomy

Astronomy classes occur in the astronomy tower, the tallest tower on campus. Subjects covered include charting constellations and stars, knowing the movements of planets, and observing the night sky.

Below are the Elective classes:

Muggle Studies

Muggle studies taught witches and wizards how to better understand Muggles, how they lived, what they invented, and how they got by without magic.

Ancient Runes

This class involved translating ancient runic scripts and was a primarily theoretical class.

Divination

Divination taught students how to predict the future by looking into Crystal balls, reading people’s palms, interpreting dreams, looking at tea leaves, and using cartomancy. This class was taught in the North Tower.

Care of Magical Creatures

This class focused on identifying animals, caring for them, breeding them, feeding them, and grooming magical creatures. It was taught near the Forbidden Forest, far beyond the castle, given that many of the animals were kept in the forbidden forest.

Arithmancy

This was a class that had to do with the magical aspect of numbers and involved a lot of charts and complex arithmetic.

Below are the advanced options for sixth and seventh-year students:

Alchemy

Older students could focus on Alchemy, combining things like chemistry, transfiguration, and potions. 

Apparition

Older students were allowed to take classes in Apparition, where they were able to learn how to teleport themselves. 

Hogwarts School Year Timeline

The school year begins every year on September 2nd (remember when school started in September? It seems to inch closer and closer to the summer break now). The school year begins with a Welcoming Feast and the Sorting Ceremony. 

During the second week of school, first-year students receive flying lessons, and Quidditch tryouts are held. 

In October, students get a small break from their Hogwarts classes schedule with the Halloween Feast, complete with flying bats and oversized pumpkins magically enhanced by Hagrid.

Every November brings not the Thanksgiving holiday of the US but, rather, the Quidditch matches. 

A week before Christmas is the end of term, after which students get a small break. The second term begins after January 1st. 

Students aren’t gifted with a lot of breaks from their Hogwarts classes schedule the second semester (isn’t that always the case?) other than the Easter Holiday, and then they take their exams in June. There is, at least, a Leaving Feast before everyone heads home. 

Hogwarts Classes: Transportation

First-year students get transported to Hogwarts for the start of their classes across the lake in a series of boats. All other grades take the “horseless” carriages to the beginning of their year.