ENGLISH
REFERENCE

high school

compound.
A1 Beginner Oxford

compound. a school for older students, usually between the ages of 14 and 18.

compound. a secondary educational institution, typically covering grades 9–12 in American usage and roughly years 10–13 in British usage.


SIMPLE

My sister is in high school.

CONTEXTUAL

He met his best friend in high school and they've stayed close ever since.

COMPLEX

Rural high schools across the region have struggled to retain science teachers despite new funding incentives.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English hyȝ scole (“school for higher education”), equivalent to high + school. Cognate with Dutch hogeschool (“academy, university, graduate school”), German Hochschule (“academy, college, university”).

Usage

Primarily American English; the British equivalent is 'secondary school' or 'sixth form' for the older years.

Teaching tip

This is a compound noun written as two words — stress falls on 'HIGH' school, not on 'high SCHOOL', which distinguishes the fixed compound from the adjective+noun sequence.

Pitfall

highschoolhigh schoolIn standard English this compound is written as two separate words, not joined.

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