Secondary school

A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. These schools help students learn more after they finish primary school and get ready for jobs or going to college. Some secondary schools teach students from about age 11 to 18, while in other places they might split students into different schools for younger and older ages.

For example, in the US, students usually go to middle school first and then to high school. In the United Kingdom, secondary schools often take students from age 11 to 16 or 18. Each country has its own way of organizing these schools, but they all have the same goal: to prepare young people for the next steps in their lives.

Going to secondary school is very important because, in many places, it is required by law for children to attend school until at least age 16. The buildings, teachers, and names of these schools may be different everywhere, but they all play a big role in helping students grow and learn.

Levels of education

In the ISCED 2014 education scale, levels 2 and 3 are about secondary education.

Lower secondary education is the first part of secondary school. It builds on what students learned in primary school and usually has more subjects to study. Students in this stage are often between 11 and 15 years old.

Upper secondary education is the second and last part of formal schooling. It is for students usually aged 15 to 18. This stage gets students ready for further education or jobs, with more choices in subjects and learning paths.

Terminology

In English-speaking countries, there are three main ways to talk about a child's age in school. Some countries use "equivalent ages." Countries that follow the English model use one of two ways to name school years, and countries that follow the American model call these years "grades." Ireland’s system is like the English model but uses different names. This way of talking about school years is also used in research.

Legal framework

Schools operate within a strict legal framework, often overseen by local authorities and the government. In England, there are six main types of state-funded schools, separate from private schools. The government ensures the safety of all students in these schools. Every state-funded school in England must have a website showing important information about how they are run, their finances, what they teach, and policies to protect students and staff, following specific rules from 2012 and 2016. Ofsted checks that these requirements are met.

Theoretical framework

School buildings are designed to fit many needs. They must hold lessons, support different teaching styles, and work within budgets and local rules. The design also considers how the school will be used by the community and the limits of the land it sits on.

Each country has its own way of organizing schools. A school needs space for students, teachers, storage, and equipment. The size of classrooms depends on how many students will be in them. For example, a classroom for 30 students might need about 55 to 62 square meters, while a science lab might need around 90 square meters. These sizes help plan how big a school should be for different numbers of students.

Size

The best size for a secondary school depends on balancing variety and community. Smaller schools, with about 150 to 250 students per grade, often help students feel more connected and can improve learning. However, larger schools can offer more classes and activities because they have more students to fill them.

Larger schools may save money by sharing resources, like one basketball court for many students. But they can also feel less personal, with teachers having fewer chances to connect with students outside their main subject. Smaller schools usually create a stronger sense of community and less loneliness among students. Both sizes have their advantages, depending on what is most important for the students.

Building design specifications

A secondary school needs to provide a safe and useful space for students, teachers, and staff. It must follow government rules for health, safety, and basic facilities like classrooms, toilets, and electricity. A good secondary school should have rooms that are the right size, special areas for different subjects, a place for teachers to prepare lessons, and a library with up-to-date books. It may also have computer rooms and a cafeteria where students can eat.

Some countries have specific rules about how much space each student needs. For example, in the UK, schools must meet certain size requirements to keep costs low while still providing enough room for everyone.

By country

For a more comprehensive list, see List of secondary education systems by country.

A secondary school, locally may be called a high school (abbreviated as HS or H.S.), or called a senior high school. In some countries there are two phases to secondary education and . The junior high school, intermediate school, lower secondary school, or middle school occurs between the primary school and high school.

Names for secondary schools by country

• Argentina: secundaria or polimodal, escuela secundaria

• Australia: high school, secondary college

• Austria: Gymnasium (Ober- & Unterstufe), Hauptschule, Höhere Bundeslehranstalt (HBLA), Höhere Technische Lehranstalt (HTL)

• Azerbaijan: orta məktəb

• Bangladesh: Maddhomik Biddalay or secondary school (grades 6–10)

• Bahamas: junior high (grades 7–9), senior high (grades 10–12)

• Belgium: secundair onderwijs/école secondaire, humaniora/humanités

• Bolivia: educación primaria superior (grades 6–8) and educación secundaria, (grades 9–12)

• Bosnia and Herzegovina: srednja škola (literally middle school), gimnazija (gymnasium)

• Brazil: ensino médio (officially), segundo grau (formerly)

• Brunei: mostly sekolah menengah (English translation: secondary school), a few maktab (English translation: college)

• Bulgaria: cредно образование (grades 8–12)

• Canada: high school, junior high or middle school, secondary school, école secondaire, collegiate institute, polyvalente

• Chile: enseñanza media

• China: zhong xue (中学; literally, middle school), consisting of chu zhong (初中; 初级中学 [zh]; literally low-level middle school) from grades 7–9 and gao zhong (高中; 高级中学 [zh]; literally high-level middle school) from grades 10–12

• Colombia: bachillerato, segunda enseñanza (literally second learning)

• Croatia: srednja škola (literally middle school), gimnazija (gymnasium)

• Cyprus: Γυμνάσιο (gymnasium), Ενιαίο Λύκειο (lyceum)

• Czech Republic: střední škola (literally middle school), gymnázium (gymnasium), střední odborné učiliště

• Denmark: gymnasium

• Dominican Republic: nivel medio, bachillerato

• Egypt: Thanawya Amma (ثانوية عامة), (public secondary certificate)

• Estonia: upper secondary school, gymnasium, lyceum

• Fiji: high school, college

• Finland: lukio (Finnish) gymnasium (Swedish)

• France: collège (junior), lycée (senior)

• Germany: Gymnasium, Gesamtschule, Realschule, Hauptschule, Fachoberschule

• Greece: Γυμνάσιο (three years) (gymnasium), Γενικό Λύκειο (three years) (–1996, 2006–present), Ενιαίο Λύκειο (three years), (1997–2006) (lyceum)

• Hong Kong: secondary school (中學 zung1 hok6)

• Hungary: gimnázium (grammar school), középiskola (comprehensive school, literally middle school), szakközépiskola (vocational secondary school, literally professional middle school)

• Iceland: framhaldsskóli (menntaskóli, iðnskóli, fjölbrautaskóli) from grades 11–13. After elementary school (grades 1–10), students have the option of entering a framhaldsskóli (literally continuation school), which will take at least three years.

• India: secondary school or high school (grades 8–10), higher secondary school or senior secondary school or intermediate college or pre-university college (grades 11–12). It is known by various names in various Indian languages as follows:

  • Hindi (हिन्दी): माध्यमिक विद्यालय (Madhyamik Vidyalaya)
  • Bengali (বাংলা): মাধ্যমিক বিদ্যালয় (Madhyamik Vidyalaya)
  • Tamil (தமிழ்): மேல்நிலைப்பள்ளி (Melnilai Palli)
  • Telugu (తెలుగు): ద్వితీయోత్సాహ పాఠశాల (Dvitiya Vidyalaya) or ఉన్నత పాఠశాల (Unnata Patashala)
  • Marathi (मराठी): माध्यमिक शाळा (Madhyamik Shala)
  • Gujarati (ગુજરાતી): માધ્યમિક શાળા (Madhyamik Shala)
  • Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ): ಪ್ರೌಢ ಶಾಲೆ (Prouḍha Shale)
  • Malayalam (മലയാളം): ഉപരി വിദ്യാലയം (Upari Vidyalayam) or ഹൈസ്കൂൾ (high school)
  • Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ): ਮਾਧਿਮਕ ਵਿਦਿਆਲਿਆ (Madhyamik Vidyalaya)
  • Urdu (اردو): ثانوی اسکول (Sanooy school)
  • Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ): ମାଧ୍ୟମିକ ବିଦ୍ୟାଳୟ (Madhyamika Bidyalaya)

• Indonesia: sekolah menengah atas (SMA) (literally upper middle school), sekolah menengah pertama (SMP) (literally first middle school), sekolah menengah kejuruan (SMK) (vocational school, literally middle vocational school)

• Ireland: Meánscoil or secondary school

• Iraq: Madrasa I'dadia (مدرسة اعدادية), (preparatory school)

• Iran: Madrese Rahnamaie (مدرسه راهنمایی), (public secondary certificate)

• Israel: Bet Sefer Tichon (בית ספר תיכון) (literally middle school, but for grades 9-12)

• Italy: scuola secondaria di primo grado (three years) + scuola secondaria di secondo grado (five years): liceo, istituto tecnico, and istituto professionale

• Jamaica: high school (public school 7–13), college (grand-aided schools 7–13)

• Japan: chūgakkō (中学校; literally middle school), kōtōgakkō (高等学校; literally high school), chūtōkyōikugakkō (中等教育学校; secondary school) – In the pre-Meiji educational system, the equivalent was called "chūsei"

• Kazakhstan: орта білім беру мектебі (general secondary school), гимназия (gymnasium), лицей (lyceum), мамандандырылған мектеп (specialized school); basic secondary (grades 5–9) and upper secondary (grades 10–11)

• Latvia: vidusskola (literally middle school)

• Liechtenstein: gymnasium

• Lithuania: vidurinė mokykla (literally middle school), gimnazija (gymnasium), licėjus (lyceum)

• Macau: escola secundária (中學 zung1 hok6): schools with secondary sections have ensino secundário (中學教育 zung1 hok6 gaau3 juk6)

• Malaysia: secondary school or sekolah menengah, sometimes high school is used

• Malta: skola sekondarja or secondary school

• Mexico: educación secundaria y preparatoria

• Mongolia: бүрэн дунд сургууль

• Morocco: In Arabic: junior: Madrasa I'dadia Ta'hilia (مدرسة إعدادية تأهيلية / preparative qualificative school); senior: Madrasa I'dadia Thanawia (مدرسة إعدادية ثانوية / preparative secondary school) – in French: lycée

• Netherlands: middelbare school or voortgezet onderwijs

• New Zealand: high school, college, or secondary school

• Nigeria: secondary school, junior or senior secondary school

• Norway: videregående skole

• Pakistan: secondary school, higher secondary school

• Paraguay: educación media

• Peru: educación secundaria or escuela secundaria

• Philippines: mataas na paaralan, can be divided into junior high school (grades 7–10) and senior high school (grades 11–12)

• Poland:

  • generally: szkoła średnia or szkoła ponadpodstawowa (szkoła ponadgimnazjalna during the existence of gimnazjum middle schools)
  • specifically: liceum ogólnokształcące (comprehensive secondary school, grades 9–12), technikum (technical secondary school, grades 9-13)

• Portugal: 2º ciclo do ensino básico (grades 5–6), 3º ciclo do ensino básico (grades 7–9), and ensino secundário or liceu (grades 10–12)

• Romania: gimnaziu (grades 5–8), liceu (grades 9–12)

• Russia: средняя школа (literally middle school); junior middle school (compulsory, grades 5–9), senior middle school (voluntary, grades 10–11)

• Serbia: gymnasium (four years), professional schools (four years), vocational schools (three or four years)

• Slovakia : gymnázium (i.e. gymnasium, also translated as grammar school or high school)

• Slovenia: gimnazija (gymnasium), srednja šola (literally middle school)

• South Africa: high school or hoërskool

• South Korea: 중고등학교 (中高等學校・chung'godŭnghakkyo), 중등교육 (chungdŭng'gyoyuk; literally middle education), comprising 중학교 (chunghakkyo; the lower secondary school, grades 7–9, referred to as "middle school grades 1–3") and 고등학교 (kodŭnghakkyo; the upper secondary school, grades 10–12, referred to as "high school grades 1–3")

• Spain: educación secundaria, composed of two cycles: E.S.O. (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, compulsory secondary education, four years, 7th to 10th grade) and bachillerato (non-compulsory secondary education, to years, 11th and 12th grade); formerly (for those born until 31 December 1983)), primary education comprised up to the 8th grade and the secondary education was composed of two non-compulsory cycles: B.U.P. (Bachillerato Unificado Polivalente, three years, 9th to 11th grade) and C.O.U. (Curso de Orientación Universitaria, one year, 12th grade)

• Sri Lanka: junior secondary school, senior secondary school

• Sweden: gymnasium

• Switzerland: gymnasium, secondary school, collège or lycée

• Taiwan: junior high school (國民中學), senior high school (高級中學), vocational high school (高級職業中學), military school (軍校), and complete high school (完全中學)

• Thailand: matthayommasueksa (มัธยมศึกษา; literally secondary education)

• Trinidad and Tobago: secondary school, forms 1–5 (five years) or forms 1–6 (seven years)

• Turkey: lise

• Ukraine: gymnasium (compulsory, grades 5–9), lyceum (voluntary, grades 10–12)

• United Kingdom

  • England and Wales: secondary school (may be referred to as high school)
  • Northern Ireland: secondary school or grammar school
  • Scotland: high school or academy

• United States: high school (usually grades 9–12 but sometimes 10–12, also called senior high school), is always considered secondary education; junior high school or intermediate school or middle school (grades 6–8, 7–8, 6–9, 7–9, or other variations) are sometimes considered secondary education.

• Uruguay: liceo or secundaria (three years of compulsory education: ciclo básico; and three years of specialization: bachillerato diversificado, into: humanities (law or economics), biology (medicine or agronomy), science (engineering or rrchitecture), and art

• Venezuela: bachillerato

• Vietnam: trung học cơ sở (abbreviated THCS, literally basic middle school, equivalent to junior high school in the U.S.); trung học phổ thông (abbreviated THPT, literally general middle school, equivalent to senior high school in the U.S.)

Students at First High School in [Argos, Peloponnese](/wiki/Argos,_Peloponnese), Greece

The red-brick building of the Kallavesi High School in [Kuopio](/wiki/Kuopio), Finland

The first taxpayer-funded public school in the United States was in [Dedham, Massachusetts](/wiki/Dedham,_Massachusetts)

Pozsonyi Királyi Katolikus Gimnázium, a high school in [Bratislava](/wiki/Bratislava), Slovakia

[Hugo Treffner Gymnasium](/wiki/Hugo_Treffner_Gymnasium) in [Tartu](/wiki/Tartu), Estonia

[Rangpur Cadet College](/wiki/Rangpur_Cadet_College) is one of the [Cadet colleges in Bangladesh](/wiki/Cadet_colleges_in_Bangladesh)

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  Stiftsgymnasium Melk, a Roman Catholic Benedictine-run gymnasium located in Melk, Austria

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  Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Virginia, United States

Chorlton Park Secondary School in [Manchester, England](/wiki/Manchester,_England)