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{{Short description|Institution which provides all or part of secondary education}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Education in the U.S.}}
[[File:Hibbing_High_School_2014.jpg|thumb|[[Hibbing High School]] in [[Hibbing, Minnesota]]]]
[[High school]] or [[senior high school]] is the education students receive in the final stage of [[secondary education in the United States]]. In the United States
==History==
[[File:First school.jpg|thumb|The first taxpayer-funded public school in the United States was in [[Dedham, Massachusetts]].]]
As late as 1900, high school attendance was very rare in the United States, with only a small percentage of the population ever attending high school. In the first half to two-thirds of the twentieth century increasing numbers of students attended, and it became an expected part of almost all students' education.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Celebrating 150 Years of Education Data |url=https://nces.ed.gov/blogs/nces/post/celebrating-150-years-of-education-data# |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=NCES Blog}}</ref>
The first institution labeled as a "high school" was [[Royal High School, Edinburgh|Edinburgh's Royal High School]] in [[Scotland]], which was founded in 1128. The Royal High School was used as a model for the first [[public high school]] in the [[Education in the United States|United States]], [[Boston Latin School]], founded in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]] in 1635.<ref>{{cite book |first=James J. |last=Trotter |title=The Royal High School, Edinburgh |location=London |publisher=Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons |date=1911 |page=186}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=J. B. |last=Barclay |title=The Tounis Scule: The Royal High School of Edinburgh |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Royal High School, Edinburgh#School clubs|Royal High School Club]] |date=1974 |page=137}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/oldest-public-high-schools-in-the-united-states-still-in-use.html|title=Where Is The Oldest High School In America? |website=WorldAtlas|date=August 30, 2018 |first=Benjamin Elisha |last=Sawe |language=en}}</ref> Boston Latin School was initially a private school, so although it did become the first public high school, a school system in [[Dedham Public Schools|Dedham, Massachusetts]] was the first to be supported by public taxation.<ref name=school>{{cite news
| url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/11/27/schools_vie_for_honor_of_being_the_oldest/
| title = Schools vie for honour of being the oldest
| access-date =
| publisher = The Boston Globe
| first = Maria
| last = Sacchetti
| date=
}}</ref> The schools prepared boys for the law or the church. The length of the school day varied with the seasons, but there was a shortage of Latin speakers available to become teachers because the job was unattractive due to low status and low pay. The colony ordered in the English Protestant Tutor, retitled as [[The New England Primer]], to be used as a textbook. This was the start of a secondary education system.
In 1642, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was able to pass a law to require parents to make sure that their children were able to read, which required some form of elementary education. In 1647, Massachusetts again passed a law that required communities to establish some type of public schooling system. Elementary schools were to be formed in every town with 50 or more families, and every town with at least 100 families would have to provide a Latin Grammar School.<ref name="Collins">{{cite web|last1=Collins|first1=Bethany D.|title=The Rise of the High School |url=https://www3.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/riseofhs.html|website=History of American Education Web Project|access-date=
Over a century later in 1779, [[Thomas Jefferson]] proposed the opening of new secondary schools to provide segregated secondary schools with different tracks in his words for "the laboring and the learned." The new academies would be practical in nature but allow a few of the working class to advance by "raking a few geniuses from the rubbish."<ref>Notes On Virginia. viii, 388. Ford Ed., iii, 251. (1782.), as quoted in The Jefferson Cyclopedia, a comprehensive collection of the views of Thomas Jefferson, Ed. John P. Foley, Funk and Wagnalls Company, New York, 1900, page 275.</ref>
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An 1817 Boston Town Meeting petitioned for the establishment of a system of free public primary schools. The main support came from local merchants, businessmen, and wealthier artisans, while many wage earners opposed it because they knew they would be paying for it through income taxation. In spite of this, [[Boston Latin School]] became public in 1820. This was the first public '''high school''' in the United States. Seven years later, a state law in Massachusetts made all grades of public school open to all pupils, free of charge.<ref name="ColorLines"/>
However, in the slave-owning states, things were different. Generally public schooling in rural areas did not extend beyond the elementary grades for either whites or blacks. This was known as "eighth grade school". After 1900, some cities began to establish high schools, primarily for middle class whites. In the 1930s roughly one fourth of the US population still lived and worked on farms and few rural Southerners of either race went beyond the 8th grade until after [[History_of_education_in_the_United_States|1945]].
Even after public schools were being opened up to all ages in Massachusetts, in the 1830s, it was illegal in southern states to teach black children to read. High schools were out of the question.<ref name="ColorLines"/> After many years of advocacy, in 1957, federal court ordered the integration of [[Little Rock]], [[Arkansas]] public schools. The [[Orval Faubus|governor]] sent in troops to physically prevent nine African American students from enrolling at [[Central High School (Little Rock, Arkansas)|all-white Central High School]]. Though, this decision was overturned by the [[Eisenhower|president]]. The same delay in equality in public high schools can be accounted for the general regarding of other groups as minorities in the US.<ref name="ColorLines"/> ==Typical American high school==
While there is no set standard for American high schools, some generalizations can be made about the majority. Public schools are managed by local, elected [[school district]]s. There is a range in quality from basic education to more intellectually-stimulating environments for students approximately 14 to 18 years of age.
Students enter around the age of
*[[
*[[Freshman]] ([[ninth grade#United States|ninth grade]]; the equivalent of the year 10 in the English System)
*[[Sophomore]] ([[tenth grade#United States|tenth grade]]; the equivalent of year 11 in the English System)
*[[Junior (education year)|Junior]] ([[eleventh grade#United States|eleventh grade]]; the equivalent of year 12 in the English System)
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School years are normally around nine months long (from August or September to May or June), and are broken up into quarters or semesters.<ref name=":0">[https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat College Board, SAT, 2017]</ref> College entry is controlled by many factors including [[Grade Point Average]] (GPA), and an elective [[SAT]] or [[ACT (test)|ACT]] exam run by two non-profit organizations: the [[College Board]] and the [[ACT (nonprofit organization)|ACT]], respectively.
Smaller schools can educate fewer than 200 pupils in total, while some teach over 4,000 at any given time.<ref>{{cite web|title=2018 Best Public High Schools in America|url=https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-public-high-schools/|website=Niche|access-date=
===Typical day===
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*Students arrive between seven and nine in the morning and leave school between two and four in the afternoon.
*Four to eight 40 to 90 minute class periods, broken up by around five minutes to get to the next class.
*A lunch break (some schools permit students to leave campus to eat, though most hold lunches on-site).<ref name=":0" />
*Homework amount differs depending on the school's purpose and culture.
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The high school may emphasize various opportunities for students:
*general education
*high-achieving college prep (
*vocational-technical
*specialties such as arts, music,
*sports
===Curriculum===
{{See also|Secondary education in the United States#Curriculum}}
A high school curriculum is defined in terms of [[Carnegie Unit and Student Hour|Carnegie Units]], which approximate to 120 class contact hours within a year. This is one hour a day, five days a week for twenty-four weeks. Students who satisfactorily complete a unit are awarded a credit.<ref name="Ed defs">{{cite web|title=Digest of Education Statistics, 2015|url=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/app_b.asp|website=nces.ed.gov|access-date=
Students typically do four years of study, with eight core subjects and electives, both of which vary by school. Passing a course earns credit and students must earn at least 30 credits to graduate, among other requirements. Study halls are sometimes offered, which don't contribute to GPA or number of credits earned.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/high-school |title=High School |website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref>
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Primarily, evaluations can be expressed as a percentage score or a letter grade. For percentage scores, the typical practice is to start at 100% and deduct points for deficiences.<ref name="USGS">{{cite book |title=Structure of the U.S. Education System: U.S. Grading Systems |date=February 2008 |publisher=International Affairs Office, U.S. Department of Education}}</ref>
The relationship between percentage scores and letter grades depends on the method of grading. In the absence of national grading standards,<ref name="USGS" /> some high schools use [[Norm-referenced test|norm-referenced grading]] (commonly called "grading on a curve") which allocates grades across the distribution of scores based on a predetermined formula. Most high schools, though, use [[Criterion-referenced test|criterion-referenced grading]] which corresponds percentages to letter grades according to a fixed scale:<ref name="Digest">{{cite web |title=Table 234.40. States that use criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) aligned to state standards, by subject area and level: 2006-07 |url=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d18/tables/dt18_234.40.asp?current=yes |website=Digest of Education Statistics |publisher=National Center for Education Statistics |access-date=
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |
|-
| style="text-align: left" | Percentage || <{{nbsp}}
|-
| style="text-align: left" | Grade || F || D || C || B || A
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|}
For each course, the student's assignment scores or grades across the [[Academic term|term]] are averaged according to [[Weighting|weights]] established by the teacher.<ref name=gsg>{{cite
===Physical education requirements===
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* Responsible behavior in physical activity settings, and
* Value of physical activity.
== Private vs Public High School ==
Parents in the United States have the option to enroll their children in either private or public high school. While there is evidence that shows private schools tend to perform better academically than public schools, both types of schooling prepare students for the workforce or higher education. There are a few key differences in each type of schooling to consider when making the decision to attend a public or private high school.
=== Cost ===
Public high school is paid for by taxpayers, making it a free state-sponsored educational program. In contrast, private schools require tuition for each student that is enrolled, which can cost parents anywhere between [https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/private-school-vs-public-school $11,000–$16,000] per school year, depending on the specific institution.
=== Teacher Credentials ===
Teachers within the public school system are required to complete a process of certification in order to teach within their particular state. Requirements for certification can vary from state to state as well, making it necessary for teachers to complete a unique certification for every state in which they wish to teach. Most public schools require teachers to have a bachelors degree in their subject matter and a certification to teach in their specific state.
Private schools, unlike public schools, do not require teachers to be state certified to teach in their educational institutions. Teachers in private high schools often hold higher degrees in their subject matter, giving students a richer, more in-depth education in the classroom. [https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/private-school-vs-public-school Teachers at private schools also tend to have more flexibility in creating their curriculum], as private schools are not driven to reach state requirements outlined for students in public schools.
=== Class Size ===
[https://nces.ed.gov/pubs97/97983.pdf Class sizes] in public schools are often much larger than those of private schools. Private schools reserve the right to take a limited number of students per year based on the requirements they set for student admission. Public schools have an open enrollment style system for student acceptance, which leads to larger classroom sizes.
=== School Selection ===
While there is more flexibility for parents in choosing a private school, parents with children enrolled in public high school still have a choice in deciding which school they will attend. Some states allow parents using the public school system to enroll their child in a school outside of their geographical district, but that [https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/can-your-child-go-to-school-outside-their-district isn't always the case].
==Media==
<!-- Please limit your submissions to shows that are likely to be seen outside the mainland
High schools are depicted in many teenage-
High school films from Hollywood rarely discuss the [[Economic inequality|economic disparities]] between the social classes where the poor gravitate to the lower esteemed courses.<!--
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[https://www.quora.com/Who-owns-the-copyright-on-content-contributed-to-Quora Quoras free use licensing terms]See also
[https://www.marketplace.org/2013/06/28/wealth-poverty/middle-class-through-hollywood-lens]
--> <ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bulman|first1=Robert|title=Teachers in the 'Hood: Hollywood's Middle-Class Fantasy|url=https://theavarnagroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Teachers-in-the-Hood.pdf|journal=[[The Urban Review]]|volume=34|issue=3|access-date=
==References==
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