High School

This article is about the term for a secondary education institution. For other uses, see High school (disambiguation).

High school is used in some parts of the world, particularly in Scotland, North America and Oceania to describe an institution that provides all or part of secondary education. The term "high school" originated in Scotland with the world's oldest being the Edinburgh's Royal High School in 1505.[1][2]

The Royal High School was used as a model for the first public high school in the United States, the English High School founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1821. The precise stage of schooling provided by a high school differs from country to country, and may vary within the same jurisdiction. In all of New Zealand and Malaysia along with parts of Australia and Canada, high school is synonymous with secondary school, and encompasses the entire secondary stage of education.
Canada

Ursula Franklin Academy a high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In Canada the term "High School" (also referred to as "Secondary school" or "Collegiate Institute") refers generally to schools comprising grades nine through twelve [some provinces only have it from grade 10 to 12]. Although each Province and territory have their own system, some provinces have Junior High, while others have post-eleventh grade, public schools, also known as Senior High. Almost all high schools schedule classes running from late August or early September to mid or late June with a summer break during July and August.

Canadian high schools offer many extracurricular activities, mainly sports. The most popular sports in Canadian high schools are ice hockey, rugby, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, football, baseball, basketball, track and field athletics, and volleyball. Senior prom (typically referred to simply as "grad" or "formal") is a very popular activity amongst graduating students. Many non-sports extra-curricular activities are offered, also. Some of these include drama, yearbook club, and computer club.

An increasing number of international students are attending Canadian high schools. Among all boarding high schools in Canada, Columbia International College is the largest, with around 1,400 international students from 66 countries.

Main article: Education in Palestine

Education in the Palestine refers to the educational system in Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Enrolment rates amongst Palestinians are relatively high by regional and global standards. This reflects the great values that Palestinians attach to educational attainment. According to a youth survey in 2003, 60% between the ages 10–24 indicated that education was their first priority. Youth literacy rate (the ages 15–24) is 98.2%, while the national literacy ratePeople's Republic of China
Main article: Education in the People's Republic of China

Lists of newly admitted students - posted outside of Linxia High School

In China, the term 'high school', also 'senior middle school' (高中), often refers to the senior part of the Chinese secondary education, as oppose to the junior part, which is more commonly known as '(junior) middle school'. Normally, students who have finished six years of primary education will continue three more years of academic study in middle schools as regulated by the Compulsory education law at the age of twelve. This, however, is not compulsory for senior secondary education, where junior graduates may choose to continue a three-year academic education in academic high schools, which will eventurally lead to university, or to switch to a vocational course in vocational high schools.

Generally, high school years usually have two semesters, starting in September and February. In some rural areas, operation may subject to agricultural cycles. Number of lessons offered by school on a weekly basis is very subjective, largely depends on the school's resource. In addition to normal lessons, periods for private study and extracurricular activity are provided as well. The academic curriculum consists of Chinese, Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, politics, Music, Fine Arts, PE, Technology, Computing etc. Some schools may also offer vocational subjects. Generally speaking, Chinese, Mathematics and English are considered as three main subjects as they will definitely be examed in Gaokao.

In China cities, the majority of high school graduates will go onto universities or vocational colleges. Given the fact that the intensity of the competition for limited university places is unimaginable, most high schools are evaluated by their academic performance in Gaokao by parents and students.

Rural secondary education has undergone several transformations since 1980, when county-level administrative units closed some schools and took over certain schools run by the people's communes. In 1982 the communes were eliminated. In 1985 educational reform legislation officially placed rural secondary schools under local administration. There was a high dropout rate among rural students in general and among secondary students in particular, largely because of parental attitudes. All students, however, especially males, were encouraged to attend secondary school if it would lead to entrance to a college or university (still regarded as prestigious) and escape from village life.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_school)

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