We started algebra in 6th grade as I recall....70 some years ago and that was in Chicago public schools. Now, high school grads there can’t even spell algebra.
Algebra was part of my 6th grade class at Rolling Valley Elementary School in Springfield, VA. It was the first year the school was open. Fall 1967. 7th grade at Washington Irving Intermediate in Fall 1968 continued the pattern with algebra. In January 1969, my family moved back to San Diego. Frankly, the math class was behind the one in VA, but the teacher, Byron Goodman, made a huge difference in my math skills. Better quality first principles made algebra, physics and chemistry classes much easier going forward.