My kids went to a middle school where everyone had been with the same kids for 9 years and upon graduation, they would all be separating out into high schools all over the place. So I think a graduation there is appropriate. It recognizes the role the school has played in their lives. For many of these students, the friends they made here will last the rest of their lives. The school gave them a foundation that will serve them well no matter what happens next.
On the other hand, my middle school was really not different from the high school. They shared buildings and ninth graders took classes with upper class members. There was only one high school to go onto, so everyone was still with the same people. In that situation, a jr high graduation means nothing and is pointless.
I think that graduation ceremonies are a recognition of the community as much as of the individual kids. More so, the younger the kids are. So a kindergarten graduation is purely about the community, and I’m in favor or having rituals that bring together the community and give people an excuse to eat food together.
As for individual recognition—frankly, I think nothing less than a PhD is worth recognizing. I thought my high school diploma and college diploma’s were pretty meaningless. I really don’t even think a master’s degree is special. But a PhD, I think, is special. It is not something, incidentally, that I have. But I would feel pride if I earned one.
Given that, I think that graduations serve primarily to help bring communities together and give people a shared sense of purpose and accomplishment. Individual honors don’t seem to me to be important. Indeed, I think they take away from the focus of the moment.