Secondary school

"High school" redirects here. For other uses, seeHigh school (disambiguation).

"Senior High" redirects here. For the TV series, seeSenior High(TV series).

Main entrance ofCamberwell High School,VIC, Australia

Asecondary schoolorhigh schoolis an institution that providessecondary education.Some secondary schools provide bothlower secondary education(ages 11 to 14) andupper secondary education(ages 14 to 18), i.e., both levels 2 and 3 of theISCEDscale, but these can also be provided in separate schools.

In theUnited States,most local secondary education systems have separatemiddle schoolsandhigh schools.In theUnited Kingdom,moststate schoolsandprivately funded schoolsaccommodate pupils between the ages of 11 and 16 or between 11 and 18; some UK private schools, i.e.public schools,admit pupils between the ages of 13 and 18.

Secondary schools follow on fromprimary schoolsand prepare forvocationalortertiary education.In high and middle income countries, attendance is usuallycompulsoryfor students at least until age 16. The organisations, buildings, and terminology are more or less unique in each country.

Levels of education

In theISCED2014 education scale,levels 2 and 3 correspond to secondary education which are as follows:

Lower secondary education

First stage of secondary education building on primary education, typically with a more subject-oriented curriculum. Students are generally around 11–16 years old.

Upper secondary education

Second stage of secondary education and final stage of formal education for students typically aged 16–18, preparing for tertiary/adult education or providing skills relevant to employment, usually with an increased range of subject options and streams.

Terminology: descriptions of cohorts

Within the English-speaking world, there are three widely used systems to describe the age of the child. The first is the 'equivalent ages'; then countries that base their education systems on the 'English model' use one of two methods to identify the year group, while countries that base their systems on the 'AmericanK–12model' refer to their year groups as 'grades'. The Irish model is structured similarly to the English model, but differs significantly in terms of labels. This terminology extends into the research literature. Below is a comparison of some countries:

Secondary cohorts

Location		Terminology	Equivalent age
			11–12	12–13	13–14	14–15	15–16	16–17	17–18
Australia		Year		7	8	9	10	11	12
		Grouping		Junior high school			Senior high school
Hong Kong		Secondary/form		1	2	3	4	5	6
		Grouping		Junior secondary			Senior secondary
Indonesia		Grade	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
		Nickname	SD Kelas 6	SMP Kelas 7	SMP Kelas 8	SMP Kelas 9	SMA Kelas 10	SMA Kelas 11	SMA Kelas 12
Ireland		Other name		Junior Cycle			Transition Year	Senior Cycle
		Class & year	6th Class	1st Year	2nd Year	3rd Year	4th Year	5th Year	6th Year
Jamaica		Form	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Lower Sixth (6B)	Upper Sixth (6A)
		Year	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
		Grouping	Lower School			Upper School		Sixth Form Programme
United Kingdom	England/Wales	Form	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Lower Sixth	Upper Sixth
		Year	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
	Scotland			S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	S6
	Northern Ireland		8	9	10	11	12	13	14
United States		Grade	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
		Nickname				Freshman	Sophomore	Junior	Senior
		Grouping	Middle School			High School
Spain		Grade		1	2	3	4	1	2
		Grouping		ESO (Mandatory Secondary Education)				Bachillerato
ISCEDlevel			2			3

Legal framework

Students at First High School inArgos, Peloponnese,Greece

Schools exist within a strictlegal frameworkwhere they may be answerable to their government through local authorities and their stakeholders. In England (but necessarily in other parts of the United Kingdom) there are six general types of state-funded schools running in parallel to the private sector. The state takes an interest in safeguarding issues in all schools. All state-funded schools in England are legally required to have a website where they must publish details of their governance, finance, curriculum intent and staff and pupil protection policies to comply withThe School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 and 2016.Ofstedmonitors these.

Theoretical framework

Pozsonyi Királyi Katolikus Gimnázium, a high school inBratislava,Slovakia

School building design does not happen in isolation. The building or school campus needs to accommodate:

• Curriculum content
• Teaching methods
• Costs
• Education within the political framework
• Use of school building (also in the community setting)
• Constraints imposed by the site
• Design philosophy

Each country will have a different education system and priorities.Schools need to accommodate students, staff, storage, mechanical and electrical systems, support staff, ancillary staff and administration. The number of rooms required can be determined from the predicted roll of the school and the area needed.

According to standards used in the United Kingdom, a general classroom for 30 students needs to be 55 m²,or more generously 62 m².A general art room for 30 students needs to be 83 m²,but 104 m²for 3D textile work. A drama studio or a specialist science laboratory for 30 needs to be 90 m².Examples are given on how this can be configured for a 1,200 place secondary (practical specialism).and 1,850 place secondary school.

Building design specifications

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

The red-brick building of the Kallavesi High School inKuopio,Finland

The building providing the education has to fulfill the needs of: students, teachers, non-teaching support staff, administrators and the community. It has to meet general government building guidelines, health requirements, minimal functional requirements for classrooms, toilets and showers, electricity and services, preparation and storage of textbooks and basic teaching aids.An optimum secondary school will meet the minimum conditions and will have:

• adequately-sized classrooms;
• specialized teaching spaces;
• a staff preparation room;
• an administration block;
• multipurpose classrooms;
• a general purpose school hall;
• laboratories for science, technology, mathematics and life sciences, as may be required;
• adequate equipment;
• alibraryor library stocks that are regularly renewed; and
• computer rooms or media centres.

Also, a secondary school may have a canteen, serving a set of foods to students, and storage where the equipment of a school is kept.

Government accountants having read the advice then publish minimum guidelines on schools. These enable environmental modelling and establishing building costs. Future design plans are audited to ensure that these standards are met but not exceeded. Government ministries continue to press for the 'minimum' space and cost standards to be reduced.

The UK government published this downwardly revised space formula in 2014. It said the floor area should be 1050 m²(+ 350 m²if there is a sixth form) + 6.3 m²/pupil place for 11- to 16-year-olds + 7 m²/pupil place for post-16s. The external finishes were to be downgraded to meet a build cost of £1113/m².

By country

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

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

Hugo Treffner GymnasiuminTartu,Estonia

Rangpur Cadet Collegeis one of theCadet colleges in Bangladesh,which is quite well known for its qualitySecondaryandIntermediateeducation, along with a well-disciplined boarding system.

Stiftsgymnasium Melk,aRoman CatholicBenedictine-run gymnasium located inMelk,Austria. The gymnasium, located within and run by theMelk Abbeymonastery, was built around the 12th century and has been a public high school in its present-day format since 1707.

Staples High SchoolinWestport, Connecticut

Chorlton Park Secondary School inManchester, England

Asecondary schoollocally may be called ahigh school(abbreviated asHSorH.S.), can also be calledsenior high school.In some countries there are two phases to secondary education (ISCED 2) and (ISCED 3), here thejunior high school,intermediate school, lower secondary school, or middle school occurs between theprimary school(ISCED 1) and high school.

Names for secondary schools by country

• Argentina:secundariaorpolimodal,escuela secundaria
• Australia:high school,secondary college
• Austria:Gymnasium(Ober- & Unterstufe),Hauptschule,Höhere Bundeslehranstalt(HBLA),Höhere Technische Lehranstalt(HTL)
• Azerbaijan:orta məktəb
• Bangladesh:Maddhomik Biddalayor Secondary School (grades 6-10)
• Bahamas, The:junior high(grades 7–9),senior high(grades 10–12)
• Belgium:secundair onderwijs/école secondaire,humaniora/humanités
• Bolivia:educación primaria superior(grades 6–8) andeducación secundaria,(grades 9–12)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina:srednja škola(literallymiddle school),gimnazija(gymnasium)
• Brazil:ensino médio(officially),segundo grau(formerly)
• Brunei:mostlysekolah menengah(English translation:secondary school), a fewmaktab(English translation:college)
• Bulgaria:cредно образование(grades 8–12)
• Canada:High school,junior highormiddle school,secondary school,école secondaire,collegiate institute,polyvalente
• Chile:enseñanza media
• China:zhong xue( trung học; literally,middle school), consisting ofchu zhong( sơ trung;Trung học sơ cấp;literallylow-level middle school) from grades 7 to 9 andgao zhong( cao trung;Cao cấp trung học;literallyhigh-level middle school) from grades 10 to 12
• Colombia:bachillerato,segunda enseñanza(literallysecond learning)
• Croatia:srednja škola(literallymiddle school),gimnazija(gymnasium)
• Cyprus:Γυμνάσιο (gymnasium), Ενιαίο Λύκειο (Lyceum)
• Czech Republic:střední škola(literallymiddle 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(Finn.)gymnasium(Swed.)
• 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( trung học zung1 hok6)
• Hungary:gimnázium(grammar school),középiskola(comprehensive school, lit. "middle-school" ),szakközépiskola(vocational secondary school, lit. "specified middle-school" )
• Iceland:framhaldsskóli(menntaskóli,iðnskóli,fjölbrautaskóli) from 11-13 Grade. After elementary school (grades 1 through 10), students have the option of entering a framhaldsskóli (lit. 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)
• Indonesia:sekolah menengah atas(SMA) (lit. "upper middle school" ),sekolah menengah pertama(SMP) (lit. "first middle school" ),sekolah menengah kejuruan(SMK) (vocational school, lit. "middle vocational school" )
• Ireland:MeánscoilorSecondary School
• Iran:Madrese Rahnamaie(مدرسه راهنمایی), (public secondary certificate)
• Israel:Bet Sefer Tichon(בית ספר תיכון) (literallymiddle school,but in reality 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),colleges(grand-aided schools 7–13)
• Japan:chūgakkō( trung học giáo; literallymiddle school),kōtōgakkō( trường cao đẳng; literallyhigh school),chūtōkyōikugakkō( giáo dục trung cấp trường học; Secondary School) – In the pre-Meijieducational system, the equivalent was called "chūsei"
• Latvia:vidusskola(literallymiddle school)
• Liechtenstein:gymnasium
• Lithuania:vidurinė mokykla(literallymiddle school),gimnazija(gymnasium),licėjus (lyceum)
• Macau:Escola secundária( trung học zung1 hok6): schools with secondary sections haveEnsino secundário( trung học giáo dục zung1 hok6 gaau3 juk6)
• Malaysia:secondary schoolorsekolah menengah,sometimeshigh schoolis used
• Malta:skola sekondarjaorsecondary 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 schoolorvoortgezet onderwijs
• New Zealand:high school,collegeorsecondary school
• Nigeria:Secondary school,Junior or senior secondary school
• Norway:videregående skole
• Pakistan:secondary school,higher secondary school
• Paraguay:educación media
• Peru:educación secundariaorescuela 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 średniaorszkoła ponadpodstawowa(szkoła ponadgimnazjalnaduring the existence ofgimnazjummiddle schools)
  • specifically:liceum ogólnokształcące(comprehensive secondary school, grades 9–12),technikum(technical secondary school, grades 9-13)
• Portugal:2º Ciclo do Ensino Básico(5th and 6th grades),3º Ciclo do Ensino Básico(7th to 9th grades), andEnsino Secundário,Liceu(10th to 12th grades)
• Romania:gimnaziu(grades 5–8),liceu(grades 9–12)
• Russia:средняя школа(literallymiddle school); grades 5–9junior middle school(compulsory), grades 10–11senior middle school(voluntary)
• Serbia:gymnasium(four years),professionalschools(four years),vocational schools(three or four years)
• Slovakia:gymnázium(i.e.gymnasium,also translated asgrammar schoolorhigh school)
• Slovenia:gimnazija(gymnasium),srednja šola(literallymiddle school)
• South Africa:High SchoolorHoërskool
• South Korea:중고등학교 ( trung trường cao đẳng ・Chung'godŭnghakkyo), 중등교육 (Chungdŭng'gyoyuk;literallymiddle education), comprising 중학교 (Chunghakkyo;the Lower secondary school, years 7–9, though referred to as "middle school grades 1–3" ) and 고등학교 (Kodŭnghakkyo;the Upper secondary school, years 10–12, though 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) andbachillerato(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) andC.O.U.(Curso de Orientación Universitaria,one year, 12th grade)
• Sri Lanka:junior secondary school,senior secondary school
• Sweden:gymnasium
• Switzerland:gymnasium,secondary school,collègeorlycée
• Taiwan:Junior High School( quốc dân trung học ),Senior High School( cao cấp trung học ),Vocational High School( cao cấp chức nghiệp trung học ),Military School( trường quân đội ), andComplete High School( hoàn toàn trung học ).
• Thailand:matthayommasueksa(มัธยมศึกษา; lit. "Secondary education" )
• Trinidad and Tobago:Secondary School,Forms 1 to 5 (five years) or Forms 1-6 (seven years)
• Turkey:Lise
• Ukraine:grades 5–9gymnasium(compulsory), grades 10–12lyceum(voluntary)
• United Kingdom
  • EnglandandWales:secondary school(may be referred to ashigh school)
  • Northern Ireland:secondary schoolorgrammar school
  • Scotland:high schooloracademy
• United States:High school (North America)(usually grades 9–12 but sometimes 10–12, it is also calledsenior high school) is always considered secondary education;junior high schoolorintermediate schoolormiddle school(6–8, 7–8, 6–9, 7–9, or other variations) are sometimes considered secondary education.
• Uruguay:LiceoorSecundaria(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 Architecture), and Art
• Venezuela:bachillerato
• Vietnam:Trung học cơ sở(abbreviated THCS, lit. "basic middle school", equivalent to junior high school in the U.S.);trung học phổ thông(abbr. THPT, lit. "general middle school", equivalent to senior high school in the U.S.)

See also

• Kindergarten
• List of schools by country
• Secondary education
• Tertiary education
• Tech ed

External links

• Australian CensusAtSchool (Australia)
• Canadian Education Statistics Council (CESC) (United States)
• Office for National Statistics (ONS) (United Kingdom)
• BB103_Area_Guidelines_for_Mainstream_Schools (2014) UKArchived2017-05-25 at theWayback Machine
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (United States)
• OECD Standardised designs (2011)