High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop their state education systems. Fact: date=October 2008 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 parts of Australia and Canada, high school is synonymous with secondary school, and encompasses the entire secondary stage of education. High school can also be the point in life for many students where they mature and develop a deeper sense of understanding about themselves and the people around them. Alternatively, some students will undergo this transitional stage later on in life when they enter college or university, although this is usually a continued progression that originates in high school.

In the 1950s, most "high schools" in Canada changed their official names to more closely reflect their scope. While "high school" is still the colloquial term, they became "Collegiate" or "Collegiate and Vocational Institute" as well as "Comprehensive" ("Polyvalente" in French.)

Australia

In Victoria the name was officially changed to secondary college in the early 1990s, however some of the adult population refer to the period as "high school". In the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, high school is years 7-10, and students go to senior school for years 11-12.

In some states TAFE institutes/colleges offer high school equivalent courses, usually undertaken by adult students who left school without completing/undertaking Year 12 leaving certificate requirements. There are also private commercial education facilities offering Year 12 leaving certificate courses, often to students wishing to improve on their high school results in order to obtain entry to, or better placement opportunities at, university.

In South Australia, Children attend Primary School (as in First) for Reception to Year 7, Then in year 8 they normally change to Secondary/High school from year 8 to year 12 and sometimes year 13. Some schools offer Reception to year 12. Children must attend school to 16, and continue with thier education till 17, example TAFE collage. After High School University is always avalible.

The exact length of secondary schooling varies from state to state, with high schools in New South Wales and Victoria serving years 7-12, and Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia serving years 8-12. In 2007 Northern Territory introduced a Middle School system for years 7-9 and high school will be years 10-12. In 2010 Western Australia will implement year 7 into the high school, reflecting that of New South Wales and Victoria.