Middle school (also known as intermediate school or junior high school) covers a period of education that straddles primary/elementary education and secondary education, serving as a bridge between the two. The terms can be used in different ways in different countries, sometimes interchangeably. In the past, middle schools existed primarily for the reason of the increasing population of children. This means that before there were less children and it was possible for elementary schools to house children up to the eighth grade. Thus in some governmental and institutional contexts, "Middle school" may be used as no more than an alternative name to "junior high school", or it might imply a pedagogical shift away from primary and secondary school practices. The concept of the name junior high dates back to 1909, with the founding of Indianola Junior High School in Columbus, Ohio. blank">http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/poptopics/middle.html#1 The concept of the name "middle school" dates back to 1950, from _Bay City, Michigan.