Junior high school is a school designed mainly for students in the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades. However, some junior high schools consist of only grades seven and eight. Others are for students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Junior high school is intended to bridge the gap between elementary and high school.
The purpose of a junior high school is to help boys and girls from 12 to 15 years of age prepare for high school. During these years, most young people begin to undergo the physical, mental, social, and emotional changes associated with adolescence.
Junior high school programs help students adjust to the differences between elementary school and high school. Unlike elementary schools, junior high schools are organized around subjects taught by specialists. Students move from one classroom to another to take courses offered by teachers trained in the specific subject they teach. In this way, the junior high school is more like a high school than an elementary school.
Junior high school students continue studying many of the subjects they had in elementary school, such as English, social studies, science, and mathematics. At the same time, they begin studying subjects that were once taught only in high school. These subjects include foreign languages, family and consumer sciences, and industrial arts. Certain required subjects, especially English and social studies, may be combined into one course. The course is taught either by one teacher or by a team of teachers. Courses combined in this way may be called block-time classes, unified studies, or core programs.
In junior high school, part of each student’s program consists of elective courses. These are courses chosen from a variety of nonrequired subjects, such as business education or music. Students also are encouraged to take part in clubs, sports, and social activities.
The first junior high schools were established in various parts of the United States about 1910. Today, many states have them. Since the 1960’s, many school districts have replaced junior highs with middle schools. These schools consist of grades six through eight or five through eight. Many educators believe that middle schools focus better on the developmental needs and academic interests of students than do junior highs.
