School

Overview

School is an occupation in Paralives available only to certain Parafolk depending on their life stage. It functions as the primary daytime activity for younger characters, similar to how careers work for adults. Child, Preteen, and Teenager Parafolk all have the ability to attend school during the day. The school system treats education as an occupation on the same level as adult careers, complete with schedules, obligations, and performance tracking.

Much of the school system in Paralives is still being developed and is likely to be improved upon during Early Access. The information below reflects what has been confirmed so far, but additional features and refinements are expected in future updates.

Eligible Life Stages

Three life stages are eligible to attend school in Paralives:

Younger life stages such as Baby and Toddler do not attend school. Young Adult, Adult, and Elder Parafolk have aged out of the school system and pursue careers instead.

School Types

Two types of schools are expected to be available at the Early Access launch:

• Elementary School: Serves younger students, primarily Children and potentially Preteens.

• High School: Serves older students, primarily Teenagers and potentially Preteens.

This list is said to be subject to change before and during Early Access. Currently, all schools in Paralives are public schools. Private schools have been mentioned as a possibility for later updates but are not included at launch.

Schools currently function as rabbit holes, meaning students leave the lot and the gameplay occurs off-screen. Players cannot follow their Parafolk into the school building or interact with the school environment directly. The developers have indicated interest in eventually creating fully interactive school lots, but the rabbit hole approach is the initial implementation.

Academic Obligations

Students in Paralives have several obligations they must fulfill as part of their school attendance:

Attendance

Parafolk must arrive at school on time in the morning. The school day follows a set schedule, and students are expected to be there when it starts. Missing school or arriving late may have consequences, though the full details of attendance penalties have not yet been revealed.

Grades

Students must maintain good, or at least decent, grades. The grading system follows the A/B/C/D/F model familiar from real-world education:

The specific consequences for failing grades or consistently poor academic performance have yet to be fully revealed by the developers.

Homework

Students are required to complete homework assignments. For the Early Access launch, all life stages will receive the same type of homework regardless of whether they attend Elementary or High School. The developers have noted that this is subject to change in future updates, with the possibility that different school levels will eventually have distinct homework requirements and difficulty levels.

Teenage Employment

Among underage Parafolk, only Teenagers can hold a job at the same time as attending school. However, these are not traditional part-time jobs with reduced hours. Instead, they are full occupations where the schedule happens to be compatible with school hours. The employment system uses the same career framework that adult Parafolk use, meaning Teenagers have access to a version of the adult career system that does not conflict with their school obligations.

Child and Preteen Parafolk cannot work. School is their only occupation, and their schedules revolve entirely around academic obligations and free time.

Health and Sickness

Parafolk who attend school can sometimes catch a virus there and come home sick. This adds a realistic element to the school experience, as students in close proximity to one another are naturally more susceptible to illness. The same mechanic applies to workplaces for adult Parafolk. When a student comes home sick, the player will need to manage their recovery, which may interfere with subsequent school attendance and homework completion.

School as an Occupation

In Paralives, school is treated as an occupation on the same level as careers. This means it occupies a dedicated slot in the Parafolk's schedule and is tracked by the same systems that manage adult employment. A Parafolk cannot attend school and hold an incompatible job simultaneously (with the exception of Teenagers in compatible-schedule positions). The game treats school attendance, grade maintenance, and homework as the student's primary responsibilities, paralleling how adult Parafolk must manage their career performance, work schedule, and professional obligations.

Future Development

The school system is expected to receive significant updates during the Early Access period and beyond. Potential areas of expansion include:

• Differentiated homework for each school level

• Private schools as an alternative to public education

• Fully interactive school lots that replace the current rabbit hole system

• Expanded consequences for poor academic performance

• Additional school types or educational paths

As Paralives Studio continues to develop the game, the school system will likely become more detailed and feature-rich, offering players greater depth in managing the educational lives of their younger Parafolk.