grade retention; repeating a grade
Formal educational term for being held back a year in school. Used in official contexts; in everyday conversation, 留年 (りゅうねん) is more common.
Grade retention is often implemented due to insufficient academic performance or prolonged absence.
He was held back a grade because of poor grades.
留年 is the common, everyday term for repeating a school year, while 原級留置 is a formal, bureaucratic term used mainly in official documents.
Compound of 原級 (げんきゅう, 'original grade') and 留置 (りゅうち, 'detention' or 'retention'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is used in modern educational administration.