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.

England and Wales

main: Education in England

Secondary schools in the state sector in the UK generally cater for children between the ages of 11 and 16 or 18. Until 2009, education was compulsory only up until the age of 16, though many students continued to stay on at school until the age of 18. However, the Education and Skills Act 2008 dictates that children must now remain in secondary education until the age of 17, from 2013, moving to 18 from 2015. The first to be affected by the changes will be those children turning 11 in 2009. Most secondary schools have their own sixth forms for years 12 and 13 (ages 16 to 18), but in some areas students continue their education at a dedicated sixth form college. In the private sector pupils often transfer to the final stage of education at age 13. In the UK school years run from September 1st to August 31st. The term high school is used specifically in some counties as follows:

• In Leicestershire, the label "high school" applies to a small group of middle schools, which accept pupils between the ages of 10 and 14, before moving on to their final stage of secondary education.
• In Liverpool and its surrounding area secondary schools are named high schools (eg Broadgreen High School)
• Most secondary schools in Manchester are named high schools (see list of secondary schools in Manchester)
• In Herefordshire, many state secondary schools name themselves high schools.
• In Kent and other English counties which still retain their grammar schools, their non-selective comprehensive schools are often called high schools.
• The Isle of Wight retains a three-tier schooling system. Its five state-run 'High Schools' are so named to differentiate them from secondary schools, which have a different age range.
• In Northumberland and some areas in Suffolk, Somerset and Staffordshire there still exists a three-tier education system comprising of First, Middle and High school. High Schools within Northumberland and Suffolk cater for pupils from Year 9 to Sixth Form (ages 13 to 18). There is currently a fairly high-profile campaign within Northumberland to save the three-tier system as it has been proposed to abolish it and adopt the standard Primary and Secondary school system as in the rest of England.