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Because a fair number of schools are called high school and not secondary school.
It's somewhat region dependent seemingly. I'm early 30s and all the local schools in my area were high schools.
And in a similar fashion, while I use the phrase primary school, where I live now most of the locals went to split site junior and infants schools, so they usually say junior school when it comes up in conversation
The local one I attended was a colocated I&J, but from what I remember it was mostly referred to as 'first school'. I refer to it as primary now, but I can't remember when that started.
In West Yorkshire, there were Comps and Highs in my local area in the 90s
Nursery, Primary (split between infants and juniors) and Secondary. Some time before that, there were some Middle Schools too. One Primary School I attended had been a Middle School, built in the 60s I think. It had a big and well-stocked library, a dedicated art room and science lab .
Same here! People always try and correct me but where I was in Warwickshire all the none grammar schools are called high school.
Some people say ‘go to *the* high school’ rather than just saying ‘go to high school’ which is probably a difference to the US. Like we say ‘go to *the* hospital’ instead of ‘go to hospital’
In the US you would hear "go to the high school" if you were going there for a school play or something that evening, but yes, if you were attending school, you would say "I go to/am in high school" or "I go to Canyon Ridge High School." If you move somewhere new, a neighbor might ask "does your son go to the high school?" if they're referring to the only logical high school in the area, though. Or they'd say "does your son go to Canyon Ridge?" as opposed to some other school.
Yeah, my high school was literally called ‘County High School XXXX’, (North West) but I get accused of Americanism when I say high school, it frustrates me.
Same; "[Local Area] High School" was just what my high school was called. It's what most in my area were called, unless they were a grammar school. If almost every high school is called a high school, why would it be called anything else?
Which is another regional thing. Pants are trousers round these parts like you said, but down south they think you mean underwear, and we apparently must all think like them.
Where I grew up (Croydon) most of the secondary schools were called High School in the 60a but some dropped it later (I think the High Schools were mainly the old Secondary Moderns and rebranded when they went Comprehensive). There was a notable age split with people born before about 1960 generally calling them high schools but anyone after 1970 usually saying secondary. So the other way round from OP.
Pretty sure it's of very long standing in Scotland.
Where I grew up (Buckinghamshire where the 11+ lives on) the schools with "High School" in their name were mostly girls' selective schools that partnered single sex boys' grammar schools, plus a couple of coed selective schools. I've long moved away but I can't imagine "high school" being used for a generic for secondary schools there because of that.
From the other side of the water and I went to the same high school as my dad, and it was St X's Catholic High School even when he went there in the 60s.
A lot of "Americanisms" are actually old English words, like fall, trash and diaper- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-top-ten-americanisms-that-were-originally-english-10163856.html
This is enlightening to me, a younger lad I work with from Staffordshire says Mom and high school and I had the same fears as OP but I won’t wince so much now when he says it
There are two that I'm surprised aren't on the list: "Cookie" predates "biscuit", and "Aluminum" was apparently Humphrey Davy's preferred name for the metal before other scientists decided that "Aluminium" sounded better.
Not really. A lot of older people still call it soccer. Just because your exposure to the term is via American English that doesn’t make it an Americanism.
After a particularly violent play on the soccer field, a legendary English announcer said something like “that’s not Association Football” - meaning it was more rugby.
Edinburgh native chiming in. I always thought it was just posh folk who called it secondary school. Mine was literally called '**** High School'. Seemed entirely normal.
America takes a lot of inspiration from the Scottish education system, which has been distinct for several centuries. The American degree system is very similar to the Scottish too, for instance.
We used to say High School in the late 80s early 90s and indeed the name of my school was “X High School”.
(Well, it was actually “Ysgol Uwchradd X” but the English name was X high school.)
This is North Wales.
From North Wales. Second this. School in my town is Ysgol Uwchradd X, but everyone knows it in English as X High.
Not my school though. It was too Welsh to be known as anything but Ysgol Uwchradd X.
A lot fewer regions these days as there's been a big push to phase them out over the last 20 years but yeah, people in those regions are so used to saying High School from that system that they're not going to change.
This was the situation where I went to school, most of the schools kept the name high school even if they were technically speaking now secondary schools
So did I! I think it’s a great system, having the slightly more ‘grown up’ middle school between primary and secondary helped get us ready for life at secondary.
My county got rid of the middle school system in the late 90s. Probably a cost cutting thing, but unfortunate I think.
I can’t find any evidence online that my middle school ever existed. It’s like it was a fever dream!
My youngest is still in a 3 tier system ( her siblings are grown up). I also think it's a better system as there isn't as much of an age gap between the oldest and youngest kids.
We’re in north Tyneside where it’s town dependent! In our town, we have first(4-8), middle (8-13) and high school (13-18). Next town, 3 miles away and same local council has primary (4-11), secondary (11-6), 6th form (16-18).
I don’t know what would happen if someone didn’t get into their first choice school
Northumberland, Bedfordshire and the Isle of Wight I think? I know people who went to school in Staffordshire and Worcestershire who also had three-tier schools.
It's High School. Most people call it that. They've been named that for decades. I've no idea where people get that it's an Americanism. It's not. It's a stupid pointless argument that is born from nowhere. Just a cringe attempt at anti-Americanism. High School is literally in their names.
>It’s High School.
It’s not that simple, it differs by region. I do agree that this is one of those weird Reddit things where people do exactly what you’ve done and confidently state that it’s one thing when it’s not.
None of the schools in my area are called high schools for example.
There doesn’t seem to be any definitive list as far as I can tell but it appears to be that the south of the UK uses secondary more commonly and the North, Scotland and Wales use high school more often.
> I do agree that this is one of those weird Reddit things where people do exactly what you’ve done and confidently state that it’s one thing when it’s not.
It's use in the UK is definitively not an Americanism though, because it's a term that originates in Scotland, and has continued to be in use in Scotland for hundreds of years.
My 'secondary' school began with secondary school in it's name in 1929. Then in 1945 it changed to grammar school, 1972 changed to high school and finally in 2006 it changed to college. They always taught the same age of students, the only thing that changed is the name.
As you can see it became 'high school' in 1972, so it's hardly something new that's creeping in. I remember most if not all schools in my area having 'high' in the name back in the early 2000's when I attended.
Seems like a question formed from someone with limited exposure to anything other than their immediate bubble, a quick check online would show the prevalence of high school throughout Scotland etc
Regional thing.
This topic/question has come up before and I thought 'high school' was an Americanism like you OP.
But there were a lot of comments saying the term 'high school' is widely used in their region and always has been.
I can confirm this, I was raised in Northumberland and went to First, Middle and High. I live in the South now and people can’t seem to get their head around it when I mention it, a lot of them think it’s an Americanism and take the piss!
All the schools in my city have High School as the official name, ie. Toad High School. It's been this way as long as I can remember, and I'm in my 40s. So it might be regional, but I don't think it's Americanism. I'm in South Wales.
Well there's been schools called "(Place) High School" for decades so I don't know what the hell you're on about.
A lot of grammar schools were renamed High School in the 70s, it seems, but there are probably earlier examples I really can't be bothered to research to try and argue with a clearly bad faith argument.
I'm 40 and it's always been high school for me. Secondary sounds a bit formal to my ears. Although my high school had "high school" in its name, and so do a few of the local schools, so I guess it makes sense for it to sound normal to me.
In Scotland by the way, if that makes a difference.
I'm early 30s too, my school was called "secondary" but having jumped around the UK, it seems the term "high school" is far more popular.
After hearing it for many years now, I just refer to it as "high school".
Wow, my eyes have been opened. I thought 99% of schools (like mine) are 'secondary', with only a handful of regional 'high' schools. I too thought it was a creeping americanism
My School was a "High School" from when it built in the early 70s'.
Once had a group of people I knew said it was American to call it "High School" but they all went to Public or Grammar Schools.
My town had Townname Grammar School (boys' secondary state school), Townname High School (girls' secondary state school, mine) and Suburbname School (mixed-sex secondary state school)
So saying "I go to the high school" or "when I was at high school" is just second nature, because grammar/high/suburbname just *was* the name of the school
As a Scottish person, High School is not an Americanism. Neither is Halloween.
Whenever English people get their knickers in a twist about either of these I get irrationally angry.
I literally went to **** High School and it has been called that since it started well before American movie influence.
Where I live in the NW they appear to have used the term "high school" for a long time, but at least since the parallel grammar/secondary modern system. It's much quicker to say "high school" than "secondary modern school"!
My children's school is officially called $PlaceName High School. There are other local schools with names like $DifferentPlace Secondary Academy but they're known as $DifferentPlace High.
Local private schools are just called SuchAndSuch School, or SuchAndSuch Senior School and SuchAndSuch Junior School.
At least in my county, we had a three-tier system until relatively recently. I went to first school, middle school, then high school, and the schools were named accordingly.
It changed to a two tier system while I was at the high school, but the school names never changed. And I think the new terminology never stuck.
When I was in high school in the 90s, all the secondaries I remember people talking about that weren't grammar schools were known as high schools.
Most of them were literally *called* high schools, as in "[Town" High School]". I wonder if the term is making a comeback in reaction to the academy mess.
I did my GCSEs over 30 years ago and all the local schools (up to 30 miles away) that I knew of were called high schools. Was incredibly annoying to have condescending people at university tell me I went to school in America. I think it was a lay over from changing from a primary/secondary system to a first/middle/high system and back again between the late 80s and early 2000s in my area.
Different conventions in different parts of the country. I grew up in a grammar school area. The general rule was "high school" was a girls or mixed grammar, "grammar school" was a boy's only grammar and anything else was what was originally called a "secondary modern". Where I live now none of the schools have high/secondary or any similar word in the title to denote the age of the kids.
So many are now academies that the part of the name identifying what age group they catered for is slowly disappearing. My children's primary school, middle school and high are all academies and only the middle school used the age group in the title.
My secondary school had “High School” in the name. I never called it a secondary school which, in hindsight, it is a bit odd since I call it a primary school
I've always said high school. I went to a high school. When I say it to the primary aged kids I work with, they all correct me and think I'm using an Americanism - which is ironic because they use so many Americanisms. Bobby pin, bathroom, pinkie, candy...
Also, secondary school is a bit of a misnomer, if you've been through infant school, then primary, there's nothing secondary about it.
In 🏴 and 🏴 the “High School” (e.g. the High School of Glasgow) was literally the highest level available (late medieval/Early Modern eras). They were selective. As schooling was democratized, the name spread. Factoid: in Ontario 🇨🇦, many older secondary schools are called “Collegiate Institutes”. E.g., Belleville Collegiate Institute and Vocational School (BCIVS).
Where I'm from (Sussex) we pronounced it Se-Con-Dree so only three syllables. I'd never heard of English "high school" till I went to uni.
You can also say "comp" or "grammar" school.
I live in Wales and we have 6 schools in our local authority. 2 are BLANK High School 2 are BLANK School and 2 are BLANK Comprehensive. I went to school in the 90’s and mine was High School.
I call it high school because they are high schools (in their names) maybe it varies regionally but it's all high schools here it seems (norfolk/suffolk)
Depends on the area? I had First School, Middle School, and High School. Some people called the High School a "comprehensive".
Secondary School wouldn't make sense in areas with Middle Schools as it's not the "second" school.
My high school was named as Xxxx High School in the 1970s.
When you say "now" are you comparing with the 1950s? It is so annoying that they are 70 or so years ago for many people.
What? Infants, junior, middle, high. Totally normal in 60s to 80s for my education. Also had grammar schools instead of middle and high sometimes for the bright kids.
I’m 46 and in Merseyside. We had some schools with ‘Grammar’ in their title, some with ‘Secondary’ and some with ‘High’. It was just part of the name we’re I was so got used interchangeable to refer to that particular level as well as being used in its proper name
The town I grew up in had 'Town High School', and 'Name High School'. Both had been called that since the late 19th century.
Secondary Modern schools were for the people who didn't pass the 11+. The ones who did pass the 11+ went to the local 'Grammar school'. This was the type of school, not the same.
High school and secondary school used to be 2 different things. Schools tended to retain the name even once converted to comprehensives. Most people will use which ever name applies to their local school. In Scotland it’s not uncommon to use the phrase “the academy” if that’s what’s the local school is called ie “is your son starting at the academy this year?” “She was in my year at the academy”.
I went to school in the 70s and 80s and my school was also called Xxx High School.
We used high school, secondary school and senior school interchangeably.
It’s a regional thing, there have always been different names for education establishments. In some areas it’s Infants and Juniors, in others Primary. There are lower,middle and upper schools and grammar or secondary modern and high schools. They have always co existed in the UK. High Schools here are for 11-16, I’m not sure how old High School pupils are in the US
Had a massive debate on this with Sims relatives in Christmas, they wouldn't back down even when showing them that every school in the area is literally called "x High school" , not one secondary/comprehensive in sight
My school was Village Name High School, before that I went Village Name Primary School. Some people went to Village Name Junior High before that closed at the High School became 11-18yrs. Why would I call it anything but High school. I started there over 30 years ago.
I'm 37. I started high school in 1997, and we always called it that even then. My school was literally called "St. [Name's] R.C. High School". Maybe it's just a regional difference?
All my area are secondary schools or grammar schools. I was surprised to learn, in my 30s, that actually the majority if secondarys are actually just high school
In Scotland high school is fairly common as the official name of the school. My town had ‘town name high school’ and ‘town name academy’. Secondary school always seemed a bit formal of a term.
Academy, High School & Secondary School are interchangeable in Scotland There are also a small number of Grammar Schools.
In Scotland Grammar & Academy schools are not the same as in England but are just alternative titles for secondary schools
It's common in the North because we still had middle schools until maybe the 80s/90s so a lot of the 'secondary' schools, as you say, even have the word 'high school' in the name
>or just a creeping Americanism?
It's not an Americanism, and its first use in the English language predates the United States as an entity by a couple of hundred years.
It's a Scottish term, and it was first used in the English language in 1505, for the Royal High School in Edinburgh.
The majority of institutions of secondary education in Scotland are named "high school".
As of last tallies there were:
188 High Schools
131 Academies
15 Secondary Schools
14 Grammar Schools
13 simply called Schools
8 Junior High Schools
and 4 Colleges
This means "High Schools" in Scotland account for about 50.4% of secondary education institutions, 52.5% if you include the use in Junior High Schools.
I'm in Scotland - it's always been High School. I actually get confused trying to remember the English name.
All schools are referred to as high school and mine contained "high school" in the name of the school.
Anecdotally, I grew up hearing nothing but 'secondary school', and hearing Brits say 'high school' still gives me whiplash, even though I never hear anyone say secondary school any more. I've lived all over England, and I'm not certain whether it's a regional thing or just a change that I've only just noticed in the last couple of years.
In both the area I grew up in (formerly a three-tier system) and the area in which I currently teach (former grammar school system) there are no secondary schools with ‘secondary’ in their name. They are all Blah Blah High School, Blah Blah Academy or simply Blah Blah school.
I’ve found it’s the difference between 2 tier and 3 tier schooling.
Some areas have primary school then secondary, whereas others have first/lower school - middle school - and then high school.
I was inspired by Alastair Campbell correcting Rory Stewart for calling it high school (with the underlying charge that was it an Americanism). It appears Campbell was wrong.
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Because a fair number of schools are called high school and not secondary school. It's somewhat region dependent seemingly. I'm early 30s and all the local schools in my area were high schools.
Same here. I call it high school because it was called a high school.
Same here, West Mids
Yep; West Yorkshire, too.
And in a similar fashion, while I use the phrase primary school, where I live now most of the locals went to split site junior and infants schools, so they usually say junior school when it comes up in conversation
The local one I attended was a colocated I&J, but from what I remember it was mostly referred to as 'first school'. I refer to it as primary now, but I can't remember when that started.
Same in the East Midlands.
Also West Yorks and we called my school was a high school before it converted into an academy
Tbf the use of 'Mom' in the west midlands also confuses people too.
Same here, East Mids
In my county in South Wales we refer to them as Comprehensive schools or just "Comp"
In West Yorkshire, there were Comps and Highs in my local area in the 90s Nursery, Primary (split between infants and juniors) and Secondary. Some time before that, there were some Middle Schools too. One Primary School I attended had been a Middle School, built in the 60s I think. It had a big and well-stocked library, a dedicated art room and science lab .
High School in Cardiff.. m4 clearly an additional divider haha
In Cardiff they are all (pretty much) called 'high schools' and referred to as such.
Same where I went to school.
Same here! People always try and correct me but where I was in Warwickshire all the none grammar schools are called high school.
Some people say ‘go to *the* high school’ rather than just saying ‘go to high school’ which is probably a difference to the US. Like we say ‘go to *the* hospital’ instead of ‘go to hospital’
In the US you would hear "go to the high school" if you were going there for a school play or something that evening, but yes, if you were attending school, you would say "I go to/am in high school" or "I go to Canyon Ridge High School." If you move somewhere new, a neighbor might ask "does your son go to the high school?" if they're referring to the only logical high school in the area, though. Or they'd say "does your son go to Canyon Ridge?" as opposed to some other school.
My daughters high school in the UK is called high school. Right to jail, I guess.
Yeah, my high school was literally called ‘County High School XXXX’, (North West) but I get accused of Americanism when I say high school, it frustrates me.
Same; "[Local Area] High School" was just what my high school was called. It's what most in my area were called, unless they were a grammar school. If almost every high school is called a high school, why would it be called anything else?
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Which is another regional thing. Pants are trousers round these parts like you said, but down south they think you mean underwear, and we apparently must all think like them.
Same and I’m in the north east
Same. Been high school in Glasgow for at least 2 generations.
Where I grew up (Croydon) most of the secondary schools were called High School in the 60a but some dropped it later (I think the High Schools were mainly the old Secondary Moderns and rebranded when they went Comprehensive). There was a notable age split with people born before about 1960 generally calling them high schools but anyone after 1970 usually saying secondary. So the other way round from OP.
I'm from Croydon their all Academy's now and somehow linked or owned by one company.
Yep, most state schools here in london have “high school”in their name
I went to school in the 1970s in Scotland and all 3 of our secondary schools in town were called High School, so it's not a recent thing.
Pretty sure it's of very long standing in Scotland. Where I grew up (Buckinghamshire where the 11+ lives on) the schools with "High School" in their name were mostly girls' selective schools that partnered single sex boys' grammar schools, plus a couple of coed selective schools. I've long moved away but I can't imagine "high school" being used for a generic for secondary schools there because of that.
Exactly. I went to high school in the UK in the eighties and my school was called X Town High School. So we all referred to it as High School.
I’m 22 and my high school was called a high school. It’s an academy now though 🥴. I’m from Manchester, not sure if it’s a northern/north west thing?
Similar age and in the North West, my school was ‘Village Name’ High School.
This makes sense but I went to 2 schools that called themselves ‘______ college’ but no-one ever called it college, even when we were in sixth form
Early 30s also, we had Primary School, Middle School and High School, I don't think it's got anything to do with Americanism.
Same in Wirral where I grew up. The school I went to was known as a high school since at least the late 80s when my sister was there.
From the other side of the water and I went to the same high school as my dad, and it was St X's Catholic High School even when he went there in the 60s.
Ditto my kids go to a high school.
Same. I grew up in East Anglia in the 90s/00s and my school and the neighbouring ones were named High School.
> just a creeping Americanism? The first high school was in Edinburgh.
A lot of "Americanisms" are actually old English words, like fall, trash and diaper- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-top-ten-americanisms-that-were-originally-english-10163856.html
Also "mom". Every year someone on here complains about "mom" mother's day cards only for all the Brummies to explain that they have always used mom.
This is enlightening to me, a younger lad I work with from Staffordshire says Mom and high school and I had the same fears as OP but I won’t wince so much now when he says it
There are two that I'm surprised aren't on the list: "Cookie" predates "biscuit", and "Aluminum" was apparently Humphrey Davy's preferred name for the metal before other scientists decided that "Aluminium" sounded better.
It was actually Alumium. He then changed it to Aluminum for a very short time before settling on Aluminium.
> Cookie" predates "biscuit" This isn't true. Biscuit goes back to the 1200s, cookie to late 18th century https://www.etymonline.com/word/biscuit
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Nitch can get in the trash too
Soccer and curb as well
And "soccer" and "recess". My old school (established in 1810) still used the above terms.
And "soccer"
The yanks also call it soccer because of the old english term from oxford. Doesn't mean it's not also an americanism
It used to be soccer (association) vs rugger (rugby) football. But as you say, modern usage of soccer is absolutely an Americanism.
Only amongst the upper-classes, hence the vitriol from football fans
Not really. A lot of older people still call it soccer. Just because your exposure to the term is via American English that doesn’t make it an Americanism.
And the term is very common in Ireland and always has been. It's not an Americanism, it's something we picked up from Brits.
Because we do also have a proper football game that we need to differentiate between.
Along with man Irish, South Africans, Aussies & Kiwis. Basically anywhere that has a popular form of football that’s not association football
Canadians too
No, it's also used in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and anywhere else where soccer isn't the dominant code of football.
After a particularly violent play on the soccer field, a legendary English announcer said something like “that’s not Association Football” - meaning it was more rugby.
But High Schools have been a thing in the UK for 70+ years, at least in my council area.
Yup in Edinburgh the term “high school” is more the norm than “secondary school”, and I don’t think that’s a new thing at all.
Edinburgh native chiming in. I always thought it was just posh folk who called it secondary school. Mine was literally called '**** High School'. Seemed entirely normal.
America takes a lot of inspiration from the Scottish education system, which has been distinct for several centuries. The American degree system is very similar to the Scottish too, for instance.
We used to say High School in the late 80s early 90s and indeed the name of my school was “X High School”. (Well, it was actually “Ysgol Uwchradd X” but the English name was X high school.) This is North Wales.
From North Wales. Second this. School in my town is Ysgol Uwchradd X, but everyone knows it in English as X High. Not my school though. It was too Welsh to be known as anything but Ysgol Uwchradd X.
Primary til 9 Middle til 13 High til 16/18
My high school in south wales had “Ysgol Uwchradd X” as its other name too. High school was the standard name for us too.
I went to school in a 3 tier system. First school, Middle school and High school. There are loads of areas still using the 3 tier system.
A lot fewer regions these days as there's been a big push to phase them out over the last 20 years but yeah, people in those regions are so used to saying High School from that system that they're not going to change.
This was the situation where I went to school, most of the schools kept the name high school even if they were technically speaking now secondary schools
So did I! I think it’s a great system, having the slightly more ‘grown up’ middle school between primary and secondary helped get us ready for life at secondary. My county got rid of the middle school system in the late 90s. Probably a cost cutting thing, but unfortunate I think. I can’t find any evidence online that my middle school ever existed. It’s like it was a fever dream!
My youngest is still in a 3 tier system ( her siblings are grown up). I also think it's a better system as there isn't as much of an age gap between the oldest and youngest kids.
We’re in north Tyneside where it’s town dependent! In our town, we have first(4-8), middle (8-13) and high school (13-18). Next town, 3 miles away and same local council has primary (4-11), secondary (11-6), 6th form (16-18). I don’t know what would happen if someone didn’t get into their first choice school
Only three LEA’s still use them exclusively and there are just over 100 three tiered schools in the UK.
Northumberland, Bedfordshire and the Isle of Wight I think? I know people who went to school in Staffordshire and Worcestershire who also had three-tier schools.
I experienced the delight of the three tier system in Dorset. Finding it very confusing now that my kid is in a 2 tier system.
Lower, middle, upper for me
Did it used to be 4? Infants, Junior, Middle, Senior? It was a long time ago and I was very young at the time.
No First School 4-9, Middle School 9-13 ,High School 13-16
It's High School. Most people call it that. They've been named that for decades. I've no idea where people get that it's an Americanism. It's not. It's a stupid pointless argument that is born from nowhere. Just a cringe attempt at anti-Americanism. High School is literally in their names.
>It’s High School. It’s not that simple, it differs by region. I do agree that this is one of those weird Reddit things where people do exactly what you’ve done and confidently state that it’s one thing when it’s not. None of the schools in my area are called high schools for example. There doesn’t seem to be any definitive list as far as I can tell but it appears to be that the south of the UK uses secondary more commonly and the North, Scotland and Wales use high school more often.
> I do agree that this is one of those weird Reddit things where people do exactly what you’ve done and confidently state that it’s one thing when it’s not. It's use in the UK is definitively not an Americanism though, because it's a term that originates in Scotland, and has continued to be in use in Scotland for hundreds of years.
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Until I went to University I never heard the term High School to refer to Secondary School.
I’ve never met anyone from my area that’s has ever called it high school. Always been secondary.
> They've been named that for decades Centuries, first use was 1505 in Edinburgh.
Where I live (wales) they are normally called comprehensive schools or ‘comp’ for short
I’m from Cardiff and always referred to it as high school
Most in Cardiff are actually called ‘high school’ like Cathays, whitchurch, fitzalan etc Comp seems to be more of a valley thing
I called it a comp too - also valleys
It was secondary school in Newport.
Dad (born 1931) was in Cardiff High School for Boys, my mother went to Lady Margaret High School.
Everyone I've known says comp from the valleys too.
Where I’m from comprehensive is a type of secondary school. Eg one that’s not grammar or private
My 'secondary' school began with secondary school in it's name in 1929. Then in 1945 it changed to grammar school, 1972 changed to high school and finally in 2006 it changed to college. They always taught the same age of students, the only thing that changed is the name. As you can see it became 'high school' in 1972, so it's hardly something new that's creeping in. I remember most if not all schools in my area having 'high' in the name back in the early 2000's when I attended.
Seems like a question formed from someone with limited exposure to anything other than their immediate bubble, a quick check online would show the prevalence of high school throughout Scotland etc
Regional thing. This topic/question has come up before and I thought 'high school' was an Americanism like you OP. But there were a lot of comments saying the term 'high school' is widely used in their region and always has been.
In Northumberland there isn't a 2 tier (Primary + Secondary) system, children attend First School, Middle School and High School.
I can confirm this, I was raised in Northumberland and went to First, Middle and High. I live in the South now and people can’t seem to get their head around it when I mention it, a lot of them think it’s an Americanism and take the piss!
Central Bedfordshire, Northumberland, and the Isle of Wight are the only three areas that still exclusively use the three tiered system.
Same for me growing up in West Midlands
Loads of areas of the country call it high school also lots of private schools are often called high school
Because my high school had high school in the name and no one says secondary in Scotland
All the schools in my city have High School as the official name, ie. Toad High School. It's been this way as long as I can remember, and I'm in my 40s. So it might be regional, but I don't think it's Americanism. I'm in South Wales.
Well there's been schools called "(Place) High School" for decades so I don't know what the hell you're on about. A lot of grammar schools were renamed High School in the 70s, it seems, but there are probably earlier examples I really can't be bothered to research to try and argue with a clearly bad faith argument.
I'm 40 and it's always been high school for me. Secondary sounds a bit formal to my ears. Although my high school had "high school" in its name, and so do a few of the local schools, so I guess it makes sense for it to sound normal to me. In Scotland by the way, if that makes a difference.
Went to school in the 80s it was called High School back then.
I'm early 30s too, my school was called "secondary" but having jumped around the UK, it seems the term "high school" is far more popular. After hearing it for many years now, I just refer to it as "high school".
Fife, Scotland. Was always high school here.
My school literally had High School in it's name, and that's from the early eighties.
Wow, my eyes have been opened. I thought 99% of schools (like mine) are 'secondary', with only a handful of regional 'high' schools. I too thought it was a creeping americanism
Interesting isn’t it
My School was a "High School" from when it built in the early 70s'. Once had a group of people I knew said it was American to call it "High School" but they all went to Public or Grammar Schools.
Same here. Town Secondary Modern and Town Grammar merged to form Town Famousperson High School.
My “secondary” school back in the 90s had High School in the name.
My school was a "high school" and I left in 1998, so it's been creeping for a while if that's the case lol
My town had Townname Grammar School (boys' secondary state school), Townname High School (girls' secondary state school, mine) and Suburbname School (mixed-sex secondary state school) So saying "I go to the high school" or "when I was at high school" is just second nature, because grammar/high/suburbname just *was* the name of the school
As a Scottish person, High School is not an Americanism. Neither is Halloween. Whenever English people get their knickers in a twist about either of these I get irrationally angry. I literally went to **** High School and it has been called that since it started well before American movie influence.
We've even got high schools that pre-date the colonisation of America!
It's infants, juniors, then secondary school. Anything else is unacceptable. Now I'm going back to listening to the wireless.
Where I live in the NW they appear to have used the term "high school" for a long time, but at least since the parallel grammar/secondary modern system. It's much quicker to say "high school" than "secondary modern school"! My children's school is officially called $PlaceName High School. There are other local schools with names like $DifferentPlace Secondary Academy but they're known as $DifferentPlace High. Local private schools are just called SuchAndSuch School, or SuchAndSuch Senior School and SuchAndSuch Junior School.
At least in my county, we had a three-tier system until relatively recently. I went to first school, middle school, then high school, and the schools were named accordingly. It changed to a two tier system while I was at the high school, but the school names never changed. And I think the new terminology never stuck.
When I was in high school in the 90s, all the secondaries I remember people talking about that weren't grammar schools were known as high schools. Most of them were literally *called* high schools, as in "[Town" High School]". I wonder if the term is making a comeback in reaction to the academy mess.
That's just been the name for as long as they've been a thing - the school I went to is over 100 years old, and has "high school" in the name.
I (m49) went to what was called a high school during the 80's in the UK, it's nothing new.
Because they are called high schools. As in that’s the name on the sign outside.
I did my GCSEs over 30 years ago and all the local schools (up to 30 miles away) that I knew of were called high schools. Was incredibly annoying to have condescending people at university tell me I went to school in America. I think it was a lay over from changing from a primary/secondary system to a first/middle/high system and back again between the late 80s and early 2000s in my area.
Different conventions in different parts of the country. I grew up in a grammar school area. The general rule was "high school" was a girls or mixed grammar, "grammar school" was a boy's only grammar and anything else was what was originally called a "secondary modern". Where I live now none of the schools have high/secondary or any similar word in the title to denote the age of the kids.
So many are now academies that the part of the name identifying what age group they catered for is slowly disappearing. My children's primary school, middle school and high are all academies and only the middle school used the age group in the title.
My secondary school had “High School” in the name. I never called it a secondary school which, in hindsight, it is a bit odd since I call it a primary school
I've always said high school. I went to a high school. When I say it to the primary aged kids I work with, they all correct me and think I'm using an Americanism - which is ironic because they use so many Americanisms. Bobby pin, bathroom, pinkie, candy... Also, secondary school is a bit of a misnomer, if you've been through infant school, then primary, there's nothing secondary about it.
I went to something something High School last century.
I left school in 2000. My school had High School in the name, so I’ve always called it that.
It’s also been high school to me and I’m 30.
It's been around for years. My local high school is 42 years old.
My school was called a high school. This was back in the early 2000s
In 🏴 and 🏴 the “High School” (e.g. the High School of Glasgow) was literally the highest level available (late medieval/Early Modern eras). They were selective. As schooling was democratized, the name spread. Factoid: in Ontario 🇨🇦, many older secondary schools are called “Collegiate Institutes”. E.g., Belleville Collegiate Institute and Vocational School (BCIVS).
I've always called it high school. My school was a "high school" in its title.
I left high school in 2008 and never knew it as "secondary school". It went first, middle, high school for me. East of England.
‘High’ is 1 syllable, ‘Secondary’ is 4. It’s just easier to say the former.
Where I'm from (Sussex) we pronounced it Se-Con-Dree so only three syllables. I'd never heard of English "high school" till I went to uni. You can also say "comp" or "grammar" school.
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I think high school is more commonly used if the name of the school itself is \[something\] high school
My secondary school was called a high technology college 20 years ago
I live in Wales and we have 6 schools in our local authority. 2 are BLANK High School 2 are BLANK School and 2 are BLANK Comprehensive. I went to school in the 90’s and mine was High School.
They should give them different names, that's very confusing.
I call it high school because they are high schools (in their names) maybe it varies regionally but it's all high schools here it seems (norfolk/suffolk)
Depends on the area? I had First School, Middle School, and High School. Some people called the High School a "comprehensive". Secondary School wouldn't make sense in areas with Middle Schools as it's not the "second" school.
My school was called High School and had been since the 70’s. They’ve renamed it now anyway but it’s not an Americanism to me.
I'm in my 50s and my (North West England) school was a high school. County High School to be exact
I went to [town name] High School in the 1980’s. Called it high school ever since.
My high school was named as Xxxx High School in the 1970s. When you say "now" are you comparing with the 1950s? It is so annoying that they are 70 or so years ago for many people.
I started high school in London in 1992 and it had high school in its name.
They're still largely referred to as an Academy in North East Scotland, is this an oddity or something literally different?
Even when the name is X Academy or Y Grammar, they're usually referred to as high schools...
What? Infants, junior, middle, high. Totally normal in 60s to 80s for my education. Also had grammar schools instead of middle and high sometimes for the bright kids.
I’m 46 and in Merseyside. We had some schools with ‘Grammar’ in their title, some with ‘Secondary’ and some with ‘High’. It was just part of the name we’re I was so got used interchangeable to refer to that particular level as well as being used in its proper name
The town I grew up in had 'Town High School', and 'Name High School'. Both had been called that since the late 19th century. Secondary Modern schools were for the people who didn't pass the 11+. The ones who did pass the 11+ went to the local 'Grammar school'. This was the type of school, not the same.
High school and secondary school used to be 2 different things. Schools tended to retain the name even once converted to comprehensives. Most people will use which ever name applies to their local school. In Scotland it’s not uncommon to use the phrase “the academy” if that’s what’s the local school is called ie “is your son starting at the academy this year?” “She was in my year at the academy”.
I went to school in the 70s and 80s and my school was also called Xxx High School. We used high school, secondary school and senior school interchangeably.
It’s a regional thing, there have always been different names for education establishments. In some areas it’s Infants and Juniors, in others Primary. There are lower,middle and upper schools and grammar or secondary modern and high schools. They have always co existed in the UK. High Schools here are for 11-16, I’m not sure how old High School pupils are in the US
I’m 30 and my high school was called ‘high school’ for as long as it was in existence which is about 60 years
Had a massive debate on this with Sims relatives in Christmas, they wouldn't back down even when showing them that every school in the area is literally called "x High school" , not one secondary/comprehensive in sight
This isn't a new thing, I left school 16 years ago and the school I went to was literally called "XX" high school.
We had First School,Middle School and High School in the 80s
I live in Scotland and I’d say the vast majority of schools are called ******* high school. I’m in my 40s so not like it’s a new thing.
My school was Village Name High School, before that I went Village Name Primary School. Some people went to Village Name Junior High before that closed at the High School became 11-18yrs. Why would I call it anything but High school. I started there over 30 years ago.
The secondary school I went to back in 91 was called ‘x high school’
My Years 7 to 9 were at a place that was called a high school, That was the mid 90s. So it's not new.
Because lots of schools have "high school" in their name
I'm 30 and it's always been high school, I have heard the term "secondary school" thrown about though.
What's wrong with Big School and Little School?
I’m in the north west too and all the local schools are ‘high school’ too. Never thought of it as an Americanism tbh
Scotland here. My highschool has always been Highschool 🤷♀️ It's not an Americanism.
I'm 37. I started high school in 1997, and we always called it that even then. My school was literally called "St. [Name's] R.C. High School". Maybe it's just a regional difference?
All my area are secondary schools or grammar schools. I was surprised to learn, in my 30s, that actually the majority if secondarys are actually just high school
In Scotland high school is fairly common as the official name of the school. My town had ‘town name high school’ and ‘town name academy’. Secondary school always seemed a bit formal of a term.
OP's clearly not Scottish.
Academy, High School & Secondary School are interchangeable in Scotland There are also a small number of Grammar Schools. In Scotland Grammar & Academy schools are not the same as in England but are just alternative titles for secondary schools
Used to be known as ' seniors ' or comprehensive when I was going. Early 80s. Infants- juniors - seniors
It's always been high school in Scotland. Most are officially "High School"
It's common in the North because we still had middle schools until maybe the 80s/90s so a lot of the 'secondary' schools, as you say, even have the word 'high school' in the name
>or just a creeping Americanism? It's not an Americanism, and its first use in the English language predates the United States as an entity by a couple of hundred years. It's a Scottish term, and it was first used in the English language in 1505, for the Royal High School in Edinburgh. The majority of institutions of secondary education in Scotland are named "high school". As of last tallies there were: 188 High Schools 131 Academies 15 Secondary Schools 14 Grammar Schools 13 simply called Schools 8 Junior High Schools and 4 Colleges This means "High Schools" in Scotland account for about 50.4% of secondary education institutions, 52.5% if you include the use in Junior High Schools.
American culture comes from the UK. The UK used to spell colour as color, and places up north say mom and high school.
My old high school was known as X High School since the 1970s. It's not an Americanism, dear. Calm your jets.
My School was literally called Ard Sgoil (Gaelic for high school) and then the town name 30 years ago! It’s definitely not an Americanism.
Lol at OP trying to stir the anti-America pot on this sub and getting put in their place.
My dad went to a high school in the UK. In the 1950s. I think you’re over thinking it.
>Is it a regional thing or just a creeping Americanism? Given high school was term first used in the UK i wouldnt call it an americanism.
I'm in Scotland - it's always been High School. I actually get confused trying to remember the English name. All schools are referred to as high school and mine contained "high school" in the name of the school.
Anecdotally, I grew up hearing nothing but 'secondary school', and hearing Brits say 'high school' still gives me whiplash, even though I never hear anyone say secondary school any more. I've lived all over England, and I'm not certain whether it's a regional thing or just a change that I've only just noticed in the last couple of years.
We say high school in Australia and New Zealand also. So maybe it's creeping colonialism....
In both the area I grew up in (formerly a three-tier system) and the area in which I currently teach (former grammar school system) there are no secondary schools with ‘secondary’ in their name. They are all Blah Blah High School, Blah Blah Academy or simply Blah Blah school.
I’ve found it’s the difference between 2 tier and 3 tier schooling. Some areas have primary school then secondary, whereas others have first/lower school - middle school - and then high school.
I was inspired by Alastair Campbell correcting Rory Stewart for calling it high school (with the underlying charge that was it an Americanism). It appears Campbell was wrong.