High School Diploma (United States)

High School Diploma (United States)
Name	High School Diploma (United States)
Alt	American high school building
Caption	Typical American public high school
Issued by	State Departments of Education; U.S. Department of Education influences policy
Type	Secondary school completion credential
Established	19th century (state-level adoption)
Duration	Typically 4 years (grades 9–12)

Contents

High School Diploma (United States) The American high school diploma is the standard secondary school completion credential awarded by state-authorized local education agencies, public and private New York City Department of Education districts, private institutions like Phillips Exeter Academy, and charter networks such as KIPP. It functions as an entry-level qualification for institutions including Harvard University, United States Military Academy, and community colleges like Miami Dade College and is referenced by employers like Walmart and federal agencies such as the Department of Defense.

Overview

The diploma signals completion of secondary programs administered under statutes like the No Child Left Behind Act and subsequent measures associated with the Every Student Succeeds Act, with influence from organizations including the Council of Chief State School Officers and accreditation bodies such as the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. State departments—California Department of Education, Texas Education Agency, Florida Department of Education, New York State Education Department—set diploma standards; local school boards like the Chicago Board of Education and districts such as the Los Angeles Unified School District implement curricula aligned with college-ready benchmarks promoted by groups including the College Board and ACT, Inc..

Typical graduation requirements include credits in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies aligned with standards like the Common Core State Standards Initiative in many states and frameworks from the National Council for the Social Studies and National Science Teachers Association. Core course sequences reference texts and materials used in classrooms influenced by publishers and programs tied to Advanced Placement courses administered by the College Board and career-technical pathways associated with the Association for Career and Technical Education. Electives may include visual and performing arts linked to institutions such as the Juilliard School or vocational certifications coordinated with organizations like the National Retail Federation Foundation and CompTIA. Local graduation plans reflect influences from universities like Stanford University, philanthropic foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and state scholarship programs like the HOPE Scholarship in Georgia (U.S. state).

Diploma types vary: traditional diplomas from districts like Boston Public Schools; honors diplomas aligned with advanced curricula at schools such as Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology; International Baccalaureate diplomas connected to the International Baccalaureate organization in schools like the United World College USA; and specialized career diplomas tied to industry partners like Boeing or General Electric. The General Educational Development (GED) credential, administered by the American Council on Education and GED Testing Service, serves as an alternative and is recognized by institutions including City University of New York and employers like Amazon (company). State-specific diploma endorsements or seals—seen in Ohio Department of Education, Virginia Department of Education, and New Jersey Department of Education—include STEM seals and service-learning recognitions modeled after initiatives by groups such as the National Science Foundation and Corporation for National and Community Service.

Assessment regimes have included statewide tests connected to federal mandates like the Every Student Succeeds Act, with college- and career-readiness benchmarks compared to scores from SAT and ACT administered by the College Board and ACT, Inc. respectively. Graduation policies involving exit exams have been contested in litigation invoking state supreme courts such as the California Supreme Court and policy debates in legislatures like the Texas Legislature. Alternative assessments and competency-based models have been promoted by the Gates Foundation and piloted in districts such as New York City Department of Education and Denver Public Schools, while standardized accountability systems reference data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress overseen by the Institute of Education Sciences.

A diploma remains a key filter for admission to institutions including University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and community colleges like Santa Monica College, and for employment with organizations such as United Parcel Service and Target Corporation. Completion rates affect workforce pipelines studied by think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and policy centers like the Urban Institute. Disparities in attainment intersect with civil rights litigation involving entities like the American Civil Liberties Union and policy efforts by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, with impacts analyzed in reports from entities like the Economic Policy Institute and Pew Research Center.

Origins trace to 19th-century state educational reforms and institutions such as Horace Mann’s Massachusetts reforms and normal schools evolving into universities like Teachers College, Columbia University. Twentieth-century expansion involved secondary school standardization influenced by the Morrill Act legacy in land-grant universities and postwar policy shaped by the GI Bill. Federal involvement grew with legislation including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and later the No Child Left Behind Act; subsequent shifts under the Every Student Succeeds Act and policy reports from entities like the National Commission on Excellence in Education (linked to the report "A Nation at Risk") reshaped expectations. Ongoing reform efforts engage foundations such as the Annenberg Foundation, civil rights groups like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and university research centers including the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Category:Secondary education in the United States