High school is a school that provides several years of education for young people beyond the elementary level. High schools also are called secondary schools. In the United States, a majority of high schools begin with ninth grade and offer four-year programs. High schools provide a general education and prepare students either for college, universities, or technical schools, or for a vocation. Canadian high schools are similar to those in the United States.
The United States has one of the world’s highest high school enrollment rates. Almost all U.S. girls and boys enter high school, and about 75 percent graduate.
High schools in the United States
offer college preparatory programs and vocational programs. College preparatory programs give students the necessary background for admission to a college or university. Vocational programs prepare students for jobs immediately following high school.
All high schools offer required courses—that is, classes in such subjects as English, science, and social studies. High school students also may choose from a wide variety of elective courses, such as music, foreign languages, or industrial arts. Extracurricular high school activities, which occur outside of classroom time, include sports, clubs, and plays.
Most United States high schools are free public schools supported chiefly by state and local taxes. Each local school district has a governing body, usually a school board, that makes school policies and monitors the quality of education that students receive. A superintendent administers the district policies. Each high school is headed by an experienced educator, usually called the principal.
About 90 percent of students in the United States attend public high schools. The United States also has several types of secondary schools outside the public-school system. Most of these private schools charge tuition. They include parochial schools, which are operated by the Roman Catholic Church or other religious groups, and private college preparatory schools, also called prep schools. Prep schools prepare students for admission to colleges and universities. Each state has laws and rules that its high schools must follow.
High schools in other countries.
The secondary school systems of Canada and many European countries resemble the U.S. systems. But some of these countries offer college preparatory programs and vocational programs in separate schools. Most developed countries have well-established secondary school systems. For example, secondary school enrollment in Canada includes about 90 percent of all youths of high-school age. In Japan and some European nations, the secondary school enrollment rate is even higher. However, in some developing nations, only about 10 percent of this group are enrolled.
Many countries have both public and private high schools. In almost all countries, the majority of high-school students attend a public school. In many countries, students must take a test to determine if they will be allowed to enroll in a public college preparatory school, and only those students with high test scores are admitted.
Development of U.S. high schools.
Secondary education in North America began about 350 years ago, during colonial times. The first free, public high school in the United States opened in Boston in 1821. Not until the 1900’s did high schools become institutions designed to educate all young people.
