The other day, I attended the "graduation" ceremony at the elementary school where my eldest granddaughter has completed fifth grade and will enter junior high next semester. But she corrected me that it is a "promotion", not "graduation."

Generally, compulsory education requires twelve years, from first grade to grade twelve. Here in California, the whole journey consists of five years in elementary school, four years in junior high school, and three years in senior high school. Therefore, she has not accomplished all  compulsory education; she only "promoted" to the sixth grade.

Now I remember I did attend the "graduation" when my son finished high school. How about college? Well, I also participated in the ceremony when my daughter graduated from Michigan, but it was called a "commencement."