high school

American  

noun

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

• high school adjective
• high schooler noun

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

There’s a lady I went to high school with.

From Los Angeles Times

The Times’ preseason top 25 high school rankings for the 2026 season:

From Los Angeles Times

In high school she was the Virginia state champion in the 300-meter hurdles before becoming a pentathlete at Queens University in North Carolina, where she broke school records in five events.

From Los Angeles Times

She was a junior in high school when the 9/11 attacks devastated her community and the nation and ultimately led her to a decade of service in the Special Operations community.

From Salon

Malone made his own kind of history in 1974 as the first player to go straight from high school to the pros.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• secondary school