Secondary education

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In most contemporary educational systems of the world, secondary education is a stage of formal education characterised by transition from the typically compulsory, comprehensive primary education for minors to the optional, selective tertiary, "post-secondary", or "higher" education (e.g., university, vocational school) for adults. Depending on the system, schools for this period or a part of it may be called secondary schools, high schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, middle schools, colleges, vocational schools and preparatory schools, and the exact meaning of any of these varies between the systems.

The exact boundary between primary and secondary education varies from country to country and even within them, but is generally around the seventh to the tenth year of education. Secondary education occurs mainly during the teenage years. Primary and secondary education together are sometimes (in particular, in Canada and the United States) referred to as K-12 education.

The purpose of secondary education can be to give common knowledge, to prepare for either higher education or vocational education, or to train directly to a profession.

[edit] Secondary education in various countries

Secondary education is referred to by different names in different countries.

Further information: education by country

• Argentina: Secundaria or Polimodal, Escuela secundaria
• Australia: High school, Secondary college
• Austria: Gymnasium (Ober- & Unterstufe), Hauptschule, "Höhere Bundeslehranstalt (HBLA), Höhere Technische Lehranstalt (HTL)
• Bahamas, The: Junior High (grades 7-9), Senior High (grades 10-12)
• Brazil: Colegial, Segundo Grau (former, but still in use informally); Ensino Médio (official)
• Chile: Enseñanza Media.
• People's Republic Of China (China): zhong xue (中学; literally, middle school), consisting of chu zhong (初中; literally beginning middle) from grades 7 to 9 and gao zhong (高中; literally high middle) from grades 10 to 12
• Republic of China (Taiwan): Junior High School(國民中學), Senior High School(高級中學), Vocational High School(高級職業中學), Military School(軍校), and Complete High School(完全中學).
• Canada: high school, secondary school, école secondaire, lycée, collegiate institute
• Croatia: srednja škola (literally middle school), gimnazija (gymnasium)
• Cyprus: Γυμνάσιο(gymnasium), Ενιαίο Λύκειο (Lyceum)
• Czech Republic: střední škola (literally middle school), gymnázium (gymnasium), střední odborné učiliště
• Denmark: gymnasium
• Estonia: Gymnasium, Lyceum
• Finland: lukio (Finn.) gymnasium (Swed.)
• France: collège (junior), lycée (senior)
• Germany: Gymnasium, Realschule/Fachoberschule, Hauptschule, Gesamtschule
• Hong Kong: secondary school (中學, Cantonese:ʤəʊŋ1 hɔk6), college (書院)
• Greece: Γυμνάσιο(gymnasium), Ενιαίο Λύκειο (Lyceum)
• Hungary: gimnázium (grammar school), középiskola (comprehensive school, lit. "middle-school"), szakközépiskola (vocational secondary school, lit. "specified middle-school")
• Iceland: Menntaskóli ,Framhaldskóli.
• India: secondary school
• Indonesia: Sekolah Lanjutan Tingkat Atas (SLTA), Sekolah Lanjutan Tingkat Pertama (SLTP).
• Republic of Ireland: community school, comprehensive school, college, vocational school, voluntary secondary school. Collectively known as "secondary school".
• Italy: Scuola Media (junior), Liceo (senior).
• Japan: chūgakkō (中学校; literally middle school), kōtōgakkō (高等学校; literally high school), chūtōkyōikugakkō (中等教育学校; Secondary School) - In the pre-Meiji educational system, the equivalent was called "chūsei"
• Liechtenstein: gymnasium
• Lithuania: vidurinė mokykla (literally middle school), gimnazija (gymnasium)
• Malaysia: secondary school or sekolah menengah, sometimes high school is used
• Mexico: Educación secundaria y preparatoria
• Netherlands: middelbare school or voortgezet onderwijs
• New Zealand: The term secondary school is used in official documents. The terms college and high school are also common. New Zealand also has intermediate schools, but these cover the last two years of primary education and are not secondary schools.
• Norway: Videregående
• Peru: Educación Secundaria or Escuela Secundaria
• Poland: gimnazjum (grades 7-9), liceum (grades 10-12)
• Portugal: 2º Ciclo do Ensino Básico (5th and 6th grades), 3º Ciclo do Ensino Básico (7th to 9th grades), and Ensino Secundário, Liceu (10th to 12th grades)
• Romania: Liceu
• Russia: среднее образование (transliteration: sredneye obrazovaniye)
• Serbia: gymnasium (4 years), professional schools (4 years), vocational schools (3 years)
• Singapore: secondary school (中学) for the first 4 levels, followed by either junior college (初级学院) for 2 year courses or centralised institute (高级中学) for 3-year courses. Some secondary schools call themselves high schools (高中).
• Slovenia: gymnasium
• Spain: Educación secundaria, composed of two cycles: E.S.O. (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, compulsory secondary education, 4 years, 7th to 10th grade) and Bachillerato (non-compulsory secondary education, 2 years, 11th and 12th grade); formerly, primary education comprised up to the 8th grade and the secondary education was composed of two non-compulsory cycles: B.U.P. (Bachillerato Unificado Polivalente, 3 years, 9th to 11th grade) and C.O.U. (Curso de Orientación Universitaria, 1 year, 12th grade)
• Sweden: gymnasium
• Switzerland: gymnasium, secondary school
• Turkey: Lise
• United Kingdom: Secondary school.
• United States: high school (usually grades 9-12 or 10-12 also termed senior high school); junior high school (6-8 or 6-9, or other variations) and middle school (5-8, 6-8, or 7-8) are sometimes considered secondary education.

[edit] See also

• Secondary school
• High school
• Boarding school
• Special school
• University-preparatory school
• Category:Secondary education by country for secondary education in individual countries
• List of education articles by country for the educational systems in individual countries
• List of colleges and universities by country

de:Weiterführende Schule es:Secundaria fr:Enseignement secondaire nl:Middelbare school ja:中等教育 ru:Школьное образование fi:Lukio sv:Gymnasium zh:中学