Ashida Mana enters Keio Junior High School this spring

Ashida Mana has entered one of the best junior high schools in Tokyo i.e. Keio Junior High School this spring and was seen taking part in the entrance ceremony held on 8 April while dressed in her grey uniform. In February this year, it was reported that Ashida had passed the entrance exams of several top-notch junior schools which required deviation scores of more than 70 after beginning preparations only since last summer when she took a break from her acting career. It was said that Ashida had chosen to enter Keio so that she could continue her acting career while juggling her studies.

Ashida made her debut at the age of 4 and started to gain a lot of attention in the 2010 NTV drama "Mother" when she was just 5. Since then, she has been featured in various dramas and movies and even appeared on the NHK Kouhaku as the youngest participant to date at 6 years old.

Keio Junior High School was established in 1947 and accepts about 240 students per year i.e. about 140 boys and 50 girls. However, about half of the slots are usually taken up by those from the Keio-affiliated primary school so it is extremely difficult to enter its junior high school from non-Keio primary schools. Actresses who had graduated from the Keio primary school and junior high school include Nitani Yurie, Shibamoto Yuki and Kikuchi Maiko.

Source: Nikkansports