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Do You Ever Capitalize The Phrase “High School”?

Do You Ever Capitalize The Phrase “High School”?

When it comes to school types and different grade levels, capitalization rules vary, hence, confusing the users. Most of the time, situations determine the capitalization of such phrases. Therefore, the user should be keen on when to capitalize on such phrases or when not.

Various factors should be considered when capitalizing the phrase “High School,”. To begin with, the phrase should be capitalized when used in the title, headline, or when referring to a specific institution.

child points at board

For instance, as for schools’ grade levels, the term “grade” precedes the grade’s number, “Grade 7”. This can also be applied when the grade levels are used in the headline or title.

Example

  • She is in Grade 7- (Capitalized because it’s referring to a particular grade)
  • I’m in sixth grade- (Not capitalized because there’s no specification)
  • Usually, I do hang around with fifth-grade buddies.

The other perspective is the elementary school; you should capitalize on them when referring to a particular elementary school such as Blanche Elementary School. Also, the elementary school can be capitalized when used in the title or headline.

Example

  • She attends elementary school. – (No capitalization since the phrase does not refer to a particular institution)
  • I attend ST. Monica Youngster Elementary School- (Capitalized since it’s referring to a specific school)

Is it Correct to Capitalize on the Entire Phrase “High School”?

Can you capitalize on the whole phrase in a sentence? The answer is a straight no; such incidents are grammatically inappropriate. Rules of grammar stipulate that the first letters of nouns should be capitalized but not the entire noun.

Example:

  • Luke graduated from North Carolina HIGH SCHOOL- (Incorrect sentence)
  • Luke graduated from North Carolina High School- (Correct sentence)

Does “High School” Need a Capital Letter?

The rule of thumb states that when an individual refers to a specific school, the phrase’s first letters should be capitalized because that is a proper noun. But when it does not refer to anything specific, it’s regarded as a common noun; hence it should not be capitalized.

Example

  • South Carolina High School is the best school around; you should consider it- (refers to a specific school hence a proper noun)
  • The event took place at Minnesota High School playground; it was awesome-(Capitalised because it’s a proper noun)
  • Don’t bother about his aspersions; the guy is so dumped, in fact, he didn’t go through school- (no specification, no capitalization)
  • God willing, my son will join high school next year- (no capitalization because that is a common noun)

If you’re still unsure about the capitalization rules for academic terms, you can find free essays online for students that demonstrate the correct usage of grammar and punctuation.

Can You Capitalize a “High School” Graduation?

This is a bit tricky, but thanks to this guide, it goes this way, if the date of the graduation is spelled out, the year’s “T” is capitalized that is “Two thousand,” on the same sentence, the phrase “High School” and “Graduation” are capitalized.

Example:

  • My son’s High School Graduation will take place in October, Two thousand and twenty-two.
  • Do you remember the Nineties’ High School Graduations ceremonies? They were so lively.
  • I am eagerly waiting for Two thousand and twenty-one High School Graduation, am tired of being a high schooler.

Can You Capitalize “High School” in a Sentence That Involves Academic Honors?

Academic programs, majors, and degrees apart from languages such as Japanese, French, and English should not be capitalized. Courses and minors should also not be capitalized since they are also not proper nouns. On the other hand, general references such as a master, bachelor’s or doctoral degree should not be capitalized.

Therefore, high school academic honors should also not be capitalized.

Example:

  • I graduated with a High School Diploma- (Incorrect sentence)
  • I graduated with a high school diploma- (Correct sentence)
  • My High School Diploma is full of good grades – (Incorrect sentence)
  • My high school diploma is full of good grades- (correct sentence)

high school hall

Can You Capitalize “High School” When the Sentence Involves Subjects?

It should be noted that high school languages such as French and English should be capitalized. But this does not apply when it comes to other subjects such as geography and history. The rule is applied only to the subjects and does not affect the phrase “High School” in any way in a sentence.

Example:

  •  In High School, I was a joker; I didn’t pass well, especially in English and History- (Incorrect sentence)
  • In high school, I was a joker; I didn’t pass well, especially in English and history- (correct sentence)
  • The syllabus for High School subjects has been revisited; they have changed English and Geography tests into multiple choices questions- (incorrect sentence)
  • The syllabus for high school subjects has been revisited; they have changed English and geography tests into multiple choices questions- (correct sentences)

Can You Capitalize on “High School” When Grade Levels are Involved?

High school and college grade levels follow the same regulations as that of lower class levels. Words such as junior, sophomore, freshman, and senior should not be capitalized; not only if they are referring to specific institutions.

Example:

  • The boys have struggled with the freshman class- (correct sentence, freshman not capitalized)
  • She joined Welbeck Junior Class- (Correct sentence, junior class refers to the specific entity)
  • Timothy is a member of the class of 1993- (correct sentence)

“High School” at the Start of a Sentence

Like any other sentence, if “High school” is used at the start of the sentence, high should be capitalized. But it should be noted that it’s very rare to find “High School” starting in a sentence, but if the phrase starts, High should be capitalized.

Example:

  • High school students are always eager to learn anything negative or positive, so be cautious with what you tell them.
  • High school subjects are the basics of your future career. Be keen on specific subjects if you want to be someone special in the future.

Other “High School” Sentence Examples

  • The boy was doing well in high school; I don’t know what happened in college.
  • I met my best friend in high school and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
  • I had one of the stupid crush on him when we were in high school.
  • After graduating from high school, he went to college to pursue a degree in engineering.
  • High school is not that difficult; all one needs is to be focused; many high school students are adolescents.
  • The football game between the rival high schools drew a huge crowd last Friday night.
  • The students should attend high school when they are ready, don’t force them; it may cause unnecessary resistance.
  • My high school offered a variety of extracurricular activities, from sports to drama club.
  • Some of my fondest memories are from the high school trips I took with my classmates.
  • Students from Shakina High school are well trained, especially in languages; tell me a school where students are fluent in Italian and Spanish?
  • High school can be a challenging time, but it also offers many opportunities for personal growth.

First, “High School” should be capitalized when it’s used in titles, headlines or when it’s used to refer to specific institutions. Next, is when the phrase starts the sentence, high should be capitalized, don’t capitalize on school. The other dynamics depend on situations like graduations and when the levels refer to a specific academic level.

students sitting in library taking class

Final Thoughts

Anyone who wants to perfect the English language should read more. A lot of things are entailed in the English language and what will help is reading. For your information, regarding sentence formation, punctuation, capitalizing, and structuring, spoken language does not play any role. You have to read and do enough research to be at the required English language levels.

The phrase “High School” is common in both spoken and written arenas, but capitalizing can be challenging. Many people tend to do wrong capitalization of the phrase. Some capitalize on the two words where they should not; others capitalize the whole phrase; others place a dash between the two words and then capitalize the two words and other ungrammatical use of the phrase. The post has provided you with the phrase capitalization criteria, try it, and all will be well.