High Schools

High school or Secondary School is the name used for the last segment of compulsory secondary education in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, the Republic of Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, the People's Republic of China, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It is preceded by primary education.

The idea was first instituted in France by Napoleon as a way to train future officers for his military.

Australia

High school is the most common name for secondary schools in Australia. In Victoria the name was officially changed to secondary college in the early 1990s, but to the majority of the adult population they are still high schools. In the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania high school is 7-10, and students go to matriculation college for 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.

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