High School

Education news, analysis, and opinion about schools typically serving 9th to 12th grades and the students who attend them
Karen language students work on a presentation highlighting historical figures during a Karen for Karen speakers class at Washington Tech Magnet School in St. Paul, Minn., on May 22, 2024.
Karen language students work on a presentation highlighting historical figures during a Karen for Karen-speakers class at Washington Tech Magnet School in St. Paul, Minn., on May 22, 2024. The St. Paul district has boosted seal of biliteracy participation by creating courses and assessments for less commonly spoken languages.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
English Learners Which Students Are Earning the Seal of Biliteracy, in Charts
A growing number of students are graduating high school with a seal of biliteracy recognizing their multilingualism.
Ileana Najarro, December 18, 2024
2 min read
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College & Workforce Readiness Q&A Graduation Rates Might Get Worse Before They Get Better
Schools must make a convincing case for why students should show up, Robert Balfanz says.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 2, 2024
5 min read
Close up of student holding a pencil and filling in answer sheet on a bubble test.
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Assessment Why the Pioneers of High School Exit Exams Are Rolling Them Back
Massachusetts is doing away with a decades-old graduation requirement. What will take its place?
Sarah Schwartz, November 11, 2024
7 min read
Noah Lipman's AP US Government and Politics students watch election results during a class election watch party at Big Lou's Pizza in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2024.
Students in Noah Lipman's AP U.S. Government and Politics class watch election results during a watch party at Big Lou's Pizza in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2024.
Lauren Santucci/Education Week
Social Studies Watching the Election Results Live With Mr. Lipman's AP Government Class
Students from Highlands High School in Texas came together as scholars and first-time voters to witness election results together.
Ileana Najarro, November 6, 2024
6 min read
Tight cropped photograph of a bubble sheet test with  a pencil.
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Assessment Massachusetts Voters Poised to Ditch High School Exit Exam
The support for nixing the testing requirement could foreshadow public opinion on state standardized testing in general.
Alyson Klein, November 6, 2024
3 min read
An illustration of a high school student looking in to an open book with black, gray, and red letters circling about around him.
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Reading & Literacy Reading Interventions for Older Students May Be Missing a Key Component
Many older elementary and middle school students still struggle with foundational reading skills.
Sarah Schwartz, October 30, 2024
6 min read
EdTech Megan Leddy holds up her laptop to show an Electoral College map to students Sabrina Conary and Asher Clark during a discussion in the Election Year course at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Oct. 22, 2024.
Teaching assistant Megan Leddy holds up her laptop to show an Electoral College map to students Sabrina Conary and Asher Clark during a discussion in the Election Year course at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Oct. 22, 2024.
Linda Coan O'Kresik for Education Week
Social Studies Inside the Class Where Students Talk About Abortion, Trump v. Harris, and More
A Maine high school has piloted a new class called Election Year, where students dive deep into campaign politics.
Olina Banerji, October 29, 2024
8 min read
Tracie Anderson Swilley, principal of Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro, SC, is named the 2025 NASSP National Principal of the Year.
Tracie Anderson Swilley, the principal of Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro, S.C., is named the 2025 NASSP National Principal of the Year.
Courtesy of NASSP
School & District Management Inside the No-Limits Mindset of the New National Principal of the Year
Tracie Anderson Swilley, a high school principal in South Carolina, was awarded the title for the 2024-25 academic year.
Olina Banerji, October 21, 2024
6 min read
A series of diverse student profiles over an Algebra background. Representing Algebra tracking.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images
Mathematics What Happened When A District Put Struggling Students in Regular Algebra?
In de-tracked classes with specially trained teachers, some struggling students saw their performance accelerate.
Sarah Schwartz, October 17, 2024
6 min read
Hands raised up holding stars.
iStock/Getty Images + Education Week
Teaching Opinion 6 Things Every New High School Teacher Should Know
A veteran educator offers practical guidance in a letter to a first-year high school teacher.
Joshua Curnett, October 14, 2024
4 min read
Demonstrators advocating for transgender rights and healthcare stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 24, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Republican states are filing a barrage of legal challenges against the Biden administration's newly expanded campus sexual assault rules, saying they overstep the president's authority and undermine the Title IX anti-discrimination law.
Demonstrators advocating for transgender rights and healthcare stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 24, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Roughly 3 percent of high school students identify as transgender, and they face high levels of bullying and hopelessness, according to new data.
Patrick Orsagos/AP
Equity & Diversity Here's How Many High Schoolers Are Transgender—and How They're Faring in Schools
For the first time, national data show how many high school students identify as transgender or gender-questioning.
Brooke Schultz, October 9, 2024
6 min read
An illustration of a black broken chain link on a red background.
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School Climate & Safety Students Feel Less Connected to School. Here's Why That Matters
There's a body of research that points to a number of benefits when students feel close to people at school.
Caitlynn Peetz, October 8, 2024
3 min read
Nolden Grohe, 16, feeds exotic fish during Marine Biology class at Central Campus in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 27, 2024.
Nolden Grohe, 16, feeds exotic fish during Marine Biology class at Central Campus in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 27, 2024. The Iowa school system has had a hands-on program for three decades that has introduced students to career possibilities in aquarium science, marine biology, and related fields.
Rachel Mummey for Education Week
Science A Marine Science Program in a Surprising Place Shows Students New Career Options
It's hard to find teachers for STEM subjects, but a school system in a landlocked state has found a way to make it work with marine science.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 30, 2024
5 min read
Image of a teacher drawing outside of the lines of a whiteboard.
<b>Katie Thomas for Education Week</b>
College & Workforce Readiness How Should High School Change? These Districts May Have the Answer
By supporting learning that takes place outside the classroom, districts—and states—are starting to rethink an age-old institution.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 30, 2024
12 min read