Secondary Schools

How Is Secondary School Different from Elementary?

•  Students move to different classrooms instead of staying in one room all day.

•  Each subject has its own teacher.

• Longer and more structured lessons for each subject. Elementary courses provide a foundation for students to learn a lot about a lot of things. Secondary schools go more in-depth on each subject.

• More elective choices like foreign languages, career training, and the arts.

• More independence—students manage their own schedules and assignments.

Typical Secondary School Day Structure:

• Period-Based schedule:

  • Students don’t stay with one teacher all day. They change classes for each subject. They have a different teacher for each class.

  • The day is divided into "periods," typically lasting 45-60 minutes.

  • Some schools have a block schedule. 

    • Each day, they take 4 subjects. 

    • On Day 1, they take 4 subjects. 

    • On Day 2, they take 4 different subjects. 

    • Each period is usually 90 minutes. 

    • Students need to remember which day it is to have the correct materials at school. 

    • The school calendar tells parents and students what block day it is. 

  • Some high schools have a 4 X 4 block schedule. 

    • Students take  4 courses every day during the first semester

    • They take 4 different courses every day during the second semester.

  • Districts may have a day of hybrid learning where students learn from home. This might happen on a snow day.

  • Students have time between classes to move from one classroom to the other. 

Examples:

• Increased independence:

  • Students need to manage their time, assignments, and materials.

  • There's less direct supervision than in elementary school.

• Core and elective courses:

  • Students take required "core" courses.

  • They can choose "elective" courses based on their interests, like foreign languages, arts, technology, etc.

• Lunch and study periods:

  • There is a designated lunch period.

  • There is no recess.

  • Some middle schools have a built-in study hall where students can get help from their teachers. It’s usually built into the lunch period. 

• Extracurricular activities:

  • Secondary schools offer lots of extracurricular activities. Examples are sports, clubs, and organizations that meet after school.