high school

American  

noun

high schools plural

1. a school attended after elementary school or junior high school and usually consisting of grades 9 or 10 through 12.

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high school British  

noun

1. another term for grammar school

2. a secondary school from grade 7 to grade 12

3. a secondary school, the grades covered depending on the province

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• high schooler
  noun
• high school
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• high schools
  plural

Etymology

Origin of high school

First recorded in 1815–25

Compare meaning

How does high-school compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• secondary school vs. high school

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

high school

You don’t need a high school diploma to discern this as a treatment benefit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

At the Los Angeles Unified School District high school where I teach, this exact type of “adjustment” is happening for the 2026-2027 school year because of declining enrollment.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

But for liberals and conservatives alike, there were other aims, too, including a high school and maybe even college degree, and a stable job to follow it.

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

Scenes of players screaming and shouting with excitement on the official opening day for 11-man high school football practices on Monday might be hard to find.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Now, in her middy blouse with the sailor bow tie, she still looked like a high school girl.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• secondary school