senior high school

IPA/ˌsiːniə ˈhaɪ skuːl/
IPA/ˌsiːniər ˈhaɪ skuːl/

senior high school — noun

1. a school for older teenagers, roughly from age 15 to 18, where they finish their

1.nounA2
Definition

a school for older teenagers, roughly from age 15 to 18, where they finish their secondary education and get ready for college or a job

Example

Amira began learning calculus and joined the debate team during her first year of senior high school.

Lincoln Senior High School in Portland offers popular classes in robotics, film-making, and software design.

collocation: offers classes in [subject]

Common collocations
  • attend senior high school
  • graduate from senior high school
  • senior high school student
  • senior high school diploma
  • enter senior high school
  • drop out of senior high school
Synonyms
  • high school

    more common; 'high school' covers the same period but in the US sometimes includes grade 9

  • secondary school

    broader term used internationally; can include middle school ages as well

  • upper school

    British term for the older years of a secondary school

Antonyms

Usage Note

This term is used mainly in the US and Canada. In the UK, the equivalent is called 'secondary school' or 'sixth form college'.

Common Mistakes

I am a teacher at senior high school of Taipei.
I am a teacher at a senior high school in Taipei.
The article 'a' is needed unless you name the school (e.g. 'Taipei Municipal Senior High School').
She goes to senior high school since 2022.
She has been going to senior high school since 2022.
Use the present perfect, not the simple present, for an action that started in the past and continues.

2. the division of the US school system that covers the highest secondary grades, u

2.nounB1
Definition

the division of the US school system that covers the highest secondary grades, usually grades 10, 11, and 12, forming a separate school segment after junior high school

Example

In the Houston Independent School District, senior high school begins in grade 10 rather than grade 9, unlike most other US states.

preposition: begins in grade X

Principal Selim told the new parents that grade 10 starts senior high school in the Seattle district.

pattern: grade X is the start of senior high school

Common collocations
  • enter senior high school
  • finish senior high school
  • senior high school curriculum
  • senior high school grades
  • during senior high school
Synonyms
  • high school (US)

    often used interchangeably, though 'high school' may include grade 9

  • upper grades

    informal; refers to the later years of schooling without specifying the institution

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, which refers to a physical school building or institution, this sense describes the abstract grade-level segment (typically grades 10–12) within the US K–12 system. Not all districts follow this exact split; some include grade 9 in the senior high division.

Word family

  • senior high
    nounA2
  • high school
    nounA2
  • high schooler
    nounB1
  • junior high school
    nounA2
  • secondary school
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These terms all refer to education for older teenagers, but they differ by region and age range. 'High school' is the most common term in North America and can include grades 9–12, whereas 'senior high school' typically refers only to grades 10–12 or the later years. 'Secondary school' is a broader international term that may include both middle and high school (ages 11–18). 'Upper school' is used in British private schools for students aged 13–16 or 16–18. 'Senior high' is an informal shortening of 'senior high school'. For example: 'She attended a public high school in Chicago' (covers all four years); 'He moved to a different senior high school for grades 11 and 12' (specific late years); 'Secondary schools in Japan run from grade 7 to grade 12' (broader range).

high schoolsecondary schoolupper school ↗senior high

Common collocations

Nouns

  • senior high school student
  • senior high school teacher
  • senior high school diploma
  • senior high school education
  • senior high school campus
  • senior high school year

Phrases

  • attend senior high school
  • graduate from senior high school
  • enroll in senior high school
  • drop out of senior high school
  • senior high school system

Prepositions

  • at senior high school
  • in senior high school
  • during senior high school
  • after senior high school

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'senior' comes from Latin 'senior' meaning 'older', from 'senex' meaning 'old'. In US education, 'senior high school' emerged in the early 1900s as school systems expanded and split into junior (grades 7–9) and senior (grades 10–12) divisions, with 'senior' indicating the older age group within the high school years.

First known use

1909

1909, in the meaning defined above