Revision 4

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 can 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. School is one of the confirmed Day 1 systems in the May 25, 2026 Early Access launch.

Much of the school system is still being expanded and is likely to be enhanced during the approximately two-year Early Access window. The information below reflects what has been confirmed so far. Additional features and refinements are expected in future free updates.

School Roles

Eligible Life Stages

Three life stages are eligible to attend school in Paralives:

• Child - Elementary School (Eli is the confirmed first child Parafolk; see his bio)

• Preteen - Elementary School or High School

• Teenager - High School

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. The full ladder of life stages is documented in Lifestages. The first child Parafolk revealed, Eli, is the canonical example of a school-attending Parafolk and a key part of Sebastian's household.

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

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 offscreen. Players cannot follow their Parafolk into the school building or interact with the school environment directly. The studio has indicated interest in eventually creating fully interactive school lots, but the rabbit-hole approach is the initial implementation. This matches the broader Day 1 carveout that all workplaces at launch are rabbit-hole shifts.

Academic Obligations

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. Households can route school commutes through the PL130 Bus Stops line for 3 paradimes per ride if walking is impractical.

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 studio. Mood and Vibes affect daily performance the same way they affect adult career performance.

Homework

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

Teenage Employment

Among under-age Parafolk, only Teenagers can hold a job at the same time as attending school. These are not traditional part-time jobs with reduced hours; they are full occupations whose schedules happen to be compatible with school hours. The employment system uses the same career framework that adult Parafolk use; Teenagers have access to a version of the adult career system that does not conflict with their school obligations. See Careers and the Expertise System for the broader job mechanics.

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: 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 launch build 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. Performance during the school day is influenced by mood, social connections, and skill progress in the same way adult career performance is influenced. See Skills and Knowledge for how learning rolls up alongside school attendance.

Connection to the Education Career Domain

The Education Careers domain anchors several adult jobs that operate at schools, including Teacher and Childcare Worker. These positions provide the adult side of the school ecosystem; a Teacher Parafolk works at the same kind of school that Child and Teen Parafolk attend. The launch build's named school venues serve dual roles as student destinations and Education-domain workplaces, see Town Venues.

Day 1 Status and Future Development

School is confirmed Day 1. Attendance, grades, homework, teen-employment compatibility, the rabbit-hole carveout, and the Education career-domain link are all part of the launch build. The school system is expected to receive significant updates during Early Access 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 (vocational, after-school programs)

• Specialized teacher roles and named school venues with deeper interior interactions

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

Out of Scope

Specific homework completion mechanics, the exact in-game day timing for school start and end, and the named individual schools inside the launch town have not been publicly enumerated. Whether the launch build supports any field trips, school events, or after-school programs has not been confirmed. Players should expect documentation to firm up during the Early Access window.