Is High School Capitalized?

When writing, many people wonder whether they should capitalize the phrase “High School” or not. It may seem like a simple issue, but when you examine it closely, you will find that there is some confusion regarding the capitalization of this phrase, especially if English grammar is not your forte.

In this post, we will discuss when you need to capitalize the phrase ‘High School’ and look at the capitalization rules of other high school related terms as well.

Is High School Capitalized?

Capitalizing it is not grammatically correct if you are using the words “high school” as a common noun in a sentence. You should only capitalize it if you are talking about a particular school, such as “Townsend Harris High School,” where it is a proper noun. It is also suitable to capitalize the phrase when used as a headline or formal title.

For example:

• He has many friends in high school.
• He graduated from high school in 2002.
• He graduated from Fairmont High School in 2002.

Are School Subjects Capitalized?

You shouldn’t capitalize educational subjects such as philosophy, algebra, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and geology. The only subjects that you can capitalize in a sentence are languages such as Spanish and French. You can also capitalize a specific school subject like Mathematics 101 and History of the French Revolution.

Here are some examples:

• I’m taking chemistry and biology this semester.
• She struggled with Physics 301 last year.
• His favorite subjects are English and psychology.

Is High School Diploma Capitalized?

Like fellowships and degrees, you don’t capitalize high school diploma in sentences where it is used as a description. The only place where “high school diploma” is capitalized is when it is used as a title, especially on alumni directories, business cards, diplomas, and resumes.

Are High School Years Capitalized?

High school years like senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman should not be capitalized. You are only allowed to capitalize high school years if you are referring to organized bodies or titles.

For instance:

• He is in Senior Class,
• Monica is a member of Francis Lewis High School Class of 2013.

Do You Capitalize High School Students?

The phrase high school students should not be capitalized when used in a generic sentence. You can only capitalize it when using it in a title or headline or referring to particular schools, parks, references, buildings, businesses, etc.

For example:

• Brentwood High School Students Handbook.

Do You Capitalize High School Years?

Capitalization of high school years such as freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior is not allowed. You can only capitalize high school years when used in a title or referring to organized entities.

Here’s an example:

• Bill and Angela are members of Dobie High School Class of 1999.

Is Junior High School Capitalized?

Junior high school should only be capitalized if you are talking about a specific school, for instance, “He used to teach music at United Junior High School.” However, if you are using the phrase generically, it should be lowercase. Example: “Sara said she enjoyed junior high school the most.”

Is High School Graduation Capitalized?

High school graduation is usually not capitalized when used in general terms. 

The only occasion you could capitalize it, is when used as a title, for example on your graduation invitation.

For instance: 

Mr. and Mrs. Smith invite you to the 

High School Graduation

of their daughter Jane 

on Saturday, June 12, 2021

Is High School Capitalized In AP Style?

You should capitalize high school in AP style if it is part of a proper noun. 

For example:

• El Camino Real Charter High School
• Warren Central High School
• Lockport Township High School East
• Public School 5

In these cases, you are referring to a proper noun as the high school name. However, if you refer to high school generally as a common noun, it does not need to be capitalized.

Is High School Teacher Capitalized?

If you use the phrase ‘high school teacher’ in a generic sentence, you shouldn’t capitalize it. However, you can capitalize it when used as a job title preceding a person’s name, e.g., “High School Teacher Lewis.” It shouldn’t be capitalized if the phrase comes after a person’s name.

Is Catholic High School Capitalized?

The phrase catholic high school is capitalized when you use it to refer to the title or name of an institution. 

Examples in a sentence: 

• Mary has been attending St. Dominic Catholic High School.
• I’d like my kids to join Parkersburg Catholic High School, one of the best in the state.

Is High School Student Capitalized?

“High school student” should not be capitalized when used in a generic sentence. However, you can capitalize this phase if you use it as a title or headline. 

Here’s an example of a title in a news article: 

• Chief suspect in the murder of Colorado High School Student arrested.

Is High School Football Capitalized?

High School football usually is not capitalized when used in a sentence: “It took a lot of practice for Alfred to get into the high school football team. The phrase can be capitalized if used as part of a headline or title. 

Here’s an example: 

• September High School Football Schedule.

Is High School English Teacher Capitalized?

If you are talking about someone who teaches English at a high school, then no, because in this case, both “high school” and “high school English” are not proper nouns. You can only capitalize the phrase if they teach a specific course known as “High School English.”

Are High School Grades Capitalized?

It depends on the grade levels and the context. Typically, grades are capitalized if the word ‘grade’ comes before the grade level, i.e., “Grade 7.” You can also capitalize if you are using the grade level in a headline or title. You don’t capitalize grade names like sophomore and senior.

What Are The Rules Of Capitalization?

Here are the rules of capitalization:

1. Capitalize proper nouns and names.

2. Start sentences with capital letters.

3. Capitalize a quote’s first word.

4. Capitalize holidays, months, and days (don’t capitalize seasons).

5. Capitalize most of the words in a title.

6. Capitalize nationalities, countries, cities, and languages.

7. Capitalize events and time periods. Example: “In the Middle Ages, child mortality rates were high because healthcare wasn’t great.”

8. Do not capitalize words that come after a colon. The only exceptions are when the words that come after the colon are proper names and when the words form at least one complete sentence.

Watch this video below which explains capitalization in grammar:

Related Capitalization Questions

Is Highschool One Word?

High school is two words and should not be written as one word. The phrase is made up of the adjective “high,” indicating secondary school level, and the common noun “school” for the learning facility. The phrase “high school” is usually treated as a noun. Writing it as one word is incorrect.

Is Senior Class President Capitalized?

Senior class president is not capitalized when used in a generic sentence: “I was in a meeting with the senior class president.” You only need to capitalize the phrase if it precedes an individual’s name: “Senior Class President Andy Robertson always ensures students are well-treated.”

Does High School Need A Hyphen?

According to Merriam-Webster, high school is in the category of unhyphenated noun phrases and thus doesn’t need a hyphen, even when using it as an adjective.

Some people include a hyphen when writing this phrase, but the unhyphenated version is more common and acceptable. The reason you might hyphenate it is if the sentence could be misinterpreted. The word ‘high’ is often used when describing someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Therefore a “high school student” could possibly be mistaken for a “high” school student. However, the phrase “high school” is so common, that it is not often misinterpreted, and therefore the use of a hyphen is not needed.

Is Middle School Capitalized?

The phrase middle school doesn’t need capitalization when used in a generic sentence: “I went to middle school with that guy.” However, you should capitalize middle school if it is part of a proper noun. Example: “I miss the good times at City High Middle School.”

Should Elementary School Be Capitalized?

Elementary school does not need to be capitalized when used in general terms: “Both their kids are in elementary school.” You should only capitalize it when used in a title or headline. You should also capitalize the phrase when referring to a proper noun: “Little Harbor Elementary School.”

Is Freshman Capitalized?

The word freshman isn’t capitalized. This also applies to other words like junior, senior, and sophomore when used to classify students. However, if you are referring to specific grades, you should capitalize when the grade comes before the numerical number. E.g., “Grade 8.”

Is University Capitalized?

University isn’t capitalized when used in general terms. Example in a sentence: “Many university students go to that restaurant.” You need to capitalize the word if you are referring to a particular university: My daughter wants to do an engineering course at the University of Michigan.