Introduction
High schools in the United States are known for never compromising the standard of quality education. They are one of the primary drivers of the American dream of raising solution-driven and influential citizens via education. However, these high schools have different capacities, educational achievements, and pedigrees resulting in one high school being larger than the other.
High Schools in the United States
Each high school in the United States has a figure of students they can enroll and cater to. It’s on this basis that they are classified as largest or least. So we will look at the largest high schools based on the number of students.
List Of Largest High Schools
Here is a quick rundown of the largest high schools in the United States
- Penn Foster High School
- BYU Independent Study High School
- Georgia Cyber Academy
- Allen High School
- Brooklyn Technical High School
- Carmel High School
- Waukegan High School
- Paramount High School
- Alexandria City High School
- Mill Creek High School
- William Mason High School
- Dakota High School
What is A High School?
A high school is an educational institution that provides secondary education to students. In the United States, they are referred to as high school, but some countries call it a secondary school. The class structure of a high school in the United States is between grades 9 to 12.
Largest High Schools in the United States
We will be looking at the largest high schools in the United States on a general scale.
Penn Foster High School
Penn Foster is a private high school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Penn Foster High School admits students from any state across the United States and currently has about 109,612 students. This school doesn’t just sit as the largest but also boasts a rich history as one of the longest-standing high schools in the United States.
The school adopts an open admission policy with no discrimination but gives every candidate an equal chance. They offer online and onsite classes. The essential requirement for enrolling in Penn Foster High School is that the ideal candidate should have completed 8th grade.
To enroll in the school, you can do it in the following ways.
- Online: use their website https://www.pennfoster.edu/enroll/?sh=e and follow their simple procedures
- You can also call their representative via 1-800-275-4410
- You can also send them a mail which you can get from their website https://www.pennfoster.edu/enroll/?sh=e
BYU Independent Study High School
BYU Independent Study High School holds fast to the vision and actualisation of quality education for every individual across the states of the United States and beyond. This school is one of the high schools that opens its doors to foreign students and their online class has made the work much easier.
BYU Independent Study High School is located in Provo, Utah and has about 41,370 enrolled students. It’s a private school but very affordable. It’s on record that the school also put in place financial aid programs for students in need.
Georgia Cyber Academy
Georgia Cyber Academy is located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The school adopts virtual learning as they provide top-notch education to 13,916 students in their homes. Although it operates the online learning model, they cover all courses relevant to proper high school education.
Georgia Cyber Academy is known for its free tuition policy for students from Georgia. They extend their benevolence by providing help to homeless students.
To enrol in the Georgia Cyber Academy, follow these steps.
- Register with Lotterease. Lotterease is an educational lottery system and s, and selected students proceed to the next stage.
- At this stage, it is assumed that the lottery system selects you. Then you have to confirm your selection using the email sent to you.
- Complete the online application via the link sent to you after confirming your selection, as explained in the stage above.
Allen High School
Allen High School is a prestigious school located in Texas with a resounding nickname- Home of the Allen Eagles. The school currently provides education to 6,954 enrolled students. As a school that prioritizes the educational needs and future of the students, they provide a complete guide for the choice of courses.
To enroll in Allen High School, visit the URL https://www.allenisd.org/Page/11733. The URL will lead you to the Allen High School student enrollment page, where you will follow the instructions to fill out the application.
Here is a quick rundown of the thing you will need.
- Passport
- Birth Certificate
- Parent’s ID
- Immunization records
- Proof of guardianship
- Transcript from the previous school
- Proof of residency
Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School is a public school controlled by the New York Department of Education. The school currently provides education to 5,943 students. There is a bit of specialization in this school as they focus on engineering, science, mathematics, and technology courses.
Brooklyn Technical High School is never left out regarding academic prowess and performance. This is evident in their student’s performances on state tests, competitions etc. As a result, they are ranked 46th in the United States.
If you are interested in enrolling in the Brooklyn Technical High School, you must register and pass the Specialized High School Admission Test (SHSAT). The school will admit students who meet the cutoff mark and pick the school as their first choice.
Note: the SHSAT cutoff mark for Brooklyn Technical High School is roughly 506, although the school can update it anytime.
Carmel High School
You will find Carmel High School in Indiana. They enroll students for 9 to 12 grades and currently have about 5,414 students. Another eye-catching area in Carmel High School is its impressive workforce, as they boast over 700 school staff.
They operate an open policy and give each student an equal chance to succeed and gain quality education. Enrollment into Carmel High School is pretty straightforward.
- Use this URL https://www.ccs.k12.in.us/about/enrollment and it will lead you to Carmel Clay Schools. Note that Carmel High School is a subsidiary of Carmel Clay Schools.
- Choose the school you want to enroll and in this case – Carmel High School.
- Prepare your documents and fill out the online form
Waukegan High School
Waukegan High School is a public high school in Illinois. They provide education to 4,609 students; little wonder they are the largest high school in Illinois. The experiences in Waukegan High School are impressive as they offer beyond classroom work- sports and social clubs.
The school has two campuses- the west campus, also called Brookside, and the East campus also called Washington campus.
To enroll in Waukegan High School, use the URL https://www.wps60.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=18635742&pageId=20766690 to access the school admission portal. Then fill out the online form as instructed.
Paramount High School
Undoubtedly the largest high school in California, Paramount High School has also pushed its way into one of the largest in the United States. With about 4,211 students currently enrolled, the ratio between teachers and student is pretty impressive at 12:1.
Things are pretty different with Paramount High School as they divide academic activities into two campuses- west and senior. The west campus is the 9th-grade students, while the senior campus is for student between 10th to 12th grade. Paramount High School values the student’s personal, social and academic growth.
Alexandria City High School
From its name, it’s pretty clear that this school is a gift to the students in Alexandria, Virginia. With its mission being student-centric, Alexandria City High School believes that they exist to help students create and actualize a bright future.
As one of the largest high schools, Alexandria has 4,173 enrolled students and offers education for 9th to 12th-grade students. They provide several placement courses and boast a thrilling history.
Mill Creek High School
Do you stay in Georgia and looking for a large high school to enroll in? Then, Mill Creek High School is a viable option. The school is one of the largest as it currently provides education to 3,742 students in Georgia.
Despite a large number of students, the educational standards are still impressive, owing to the sufficient workforce in the school. Little wonder the ratio of teachers to students is 20:1. Mill Creek High School isn’t only concerned with the student’s academics but also looks to build their characters, talents, and leadership skills.
William Mason High School
It’s good to see that Ohio has produced one on the list- William Mason High School. It enrolled 3,544 students and offered educational programs for 9th to 12th grade. William Mason High School do not compromise personal, academic, and societal excellence as they put in resources to prepare the students.
With a combination of school infrastructure and an efficient workforce, there is hardly a loophole in her educational services.
Dakota High School
Dakota High School has its foundation and structure in Detroit, Michigan. As a school with longevity and history since accreditation in 1996 now provides education to 2,826 students. They are driven by a mission to empower students and encourage them to add value to society.
Dakota High School do not comprise high academic standards, their move to building successful students and making the environment safer via modeling the students as future leaders.
What are the Qualities of A Good High School?
If you find out the number of high schools in the country, you will discover that the number is significant. However, not all provide the best educational programs or conducive environments for learning. As a result, understanding what makes a quality high school will be of significant advantage. So, let’s see these defining qualities.
Productive Leadership
This is the core of the whole matter. The high school is an organization and needs effective leadership, just like every other organization. The administration is responsible for almost every program, event, or action in the school. From outlining the school’s vision and mission to acquiring the workforce down to enrollment policies, the leadership plays a vital role
So a good high school is one with a good leadership because all progress and achievements is first triggered by the school’s leadership.
Uncompromised High Standards
An excellent high school vividly outlines its standards for all to see. They let every student and staff understand all that is expected of them and do not compromise if any party falls short. This can be seen in the enrollment requirements, appropriate punishment, or action if a student performs below par, etc. In a nutshell, discipline is the order of the day.
Consistent Evaluation of Students and Staffs
A good high school consistently inspects and evaluates the teachings and learning conditions in the school. Here teachers evaluates students’ performance and progress in a bid to make the necessary adjustment.
Exclusive and Conducive Learning Environment
The learning environment is vital to the student’s progress. This includes school infrastructure such as fitting classrooms, libraries, laboratories, social programs, sporting activities, etc. All these improve students’ academic interaction as well as social or physical interaction.
Professional Development for Staff
It’s pretty tricky to place all focus on the students. However, the school will suffer if staff is not put into the picture. This boils down to the wellness and development of the staffs. A good high school will frequently provide avenues of professional development to staff. It can be as simple as sending staff on a course for updated training.
What are the Advantages of Attending A Large High School?
Some students want to attend a large school to tell friends that their school is the largest. Other students have other reasons, which may be significant or childish. They forget the fact that on a basis, a large school offers good benefits.
- A large school typically provides a vast range of educational programs. This is one of the factors that makes them large in the first place, as several students enroll in different programs.
- Large schools are often less expensive as the numbers play a crucial role. It even gets cheaper in the case of a large public school.
- Large schools increase diversity and promote communication among diverse groups of students
- Large schools offer more social and sporting activities for psychomotor skills.
- Helps students build the habit of healthy competition
- Several large schools have a good reputation that helps their student’s application to colleges.
- Improved learning facilities is a typical feature of large schools. So in a large school there, there are efficient laboratories, libraries, sporting grounds, etc.
Conclusion
The United States houses several large high schools, but we have also discovered that beyond being large, they offer quality education. So it’s best to look beyond the school size and reflect on the many good benefits they offer. You now have a list, and if you desire any of the schools, never hesitate to give it a shot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Largest High School in the United States?
The largest high school is Penn Foster High School. They enrolled over 70, 000 students.
What is the Smallest High School in the United States?
The smallest of them all is Austin Area Junior Senior High School.
Which State in the US has the Most High Schools?
California has the highest amount of high schools in the US.