High school facts for kids

A high school.

Washington High School, Washington, Indiana

High school is a kind of school, a place where people go to learn skills for future jobs. In a three-part system such as in the United States, children go to high school after middle school ("junior high"). In a two-party system such as in the United Kingdom, the change is from primary school to secondary school at 11 years of age.

In the United States, a high school is a school that students go to usually for grades 9 through 12, from the ages of about 14-15 to about 17-18. It is also the last school that the law requires the student to go to. However, students with behavioral issues that are too much for the school to handle are not required to attend. This is called expulsion. Some states have an age or certain grade where a student does not have to attend school, this is called the compulsory age, for example in New York, students below 17 years of age are required to attend school unless the child is excused. Some people may choose to take some tests called GED (General Education Development) as another way to finish high school. A student is allowed by law to stop going to high school after a certain age without having graduated. In most this is 16, however, in a few states, it is 18 or higher, for example, Wisconsin.

In the United Kingdom the law requires the student to go to school until 16. The term 'high school' is only used in Scotland. The term 'Secondary School' is used for most of the UK instead of 'high school'. 'Secondary school' is school year 7-11; which is pupils aged 11-16.

There are public high schools and private high schools in the United States and many other countries.

Images for kids

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  Camberwell High School, a public secondary school in Australia

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  High school in Bratislava, Slovakia (Gamča)

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  The first taxpayer-funded public school in the United States was in Dedham, Massachusetts.

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  The red-brick building of the Kallavesi High School in Kuopio, Finland.

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  Carl-von-Ossietzky-Gymnasium, located in Görschstraße, Berlin-Pankow

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  Hugo Treffner Gymnasium in Tartu, Estonia

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  Rangpur Cadet College is one of the Cadet colleges in Bangladesh, which is quite well known for its quality Secondary and Intermediate education, along with a well-disciplined boarding system.

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  Stiftsgymnasium Melk is a Roman Catholic Benedictine-run gymnasium located in Melk, Austria. The gymnasium is located within and run by the well-known monastery Melk Abbey. It was built around the 12th century and has been a public high school in its present-day format since 1707.