You are filling out a job application, and the education box asks where you finished. You type it, stare, and wonder: high school or highschool? One looks tidy, the other looks like a typo, and both seem to appear all over the internet.
Guess wrong and a polished resume suddenly looks rushed. Relax, because the high school or highschool question has a firm answer, and the reason behind it makes the spelling easy to keep straight.
What Does High School Mean?
A high school is a secondary school that students attend after middle school or junior high. In the United States, it usually covers grades 9 through 12, which means students are roughly 14 to 18 years old. Some districts start at grade 10, and a few combine middle and high school under one roof.
Students who finish earn a high school diploma. Many jobs, colleges, and training programs ask for it, which is why the word appears so often on forms and applications.
The four years have familiar names:
- Freshman (grade 9)
- Sophomore (grade 10)
- Junior (grade 11)
- Senior (grade 12)
Why “Highschool” Is Considered Incorrect
In standard English, high school is an open compound. That means two separate words work together as one idea, but they keep the space between them. Other examples are ice cream, post office, and middle school.
Dictionaries list “high school” as two words. Major style guides, including AP and Chicago, follow the same convention. “Highschool” is not an accepted variant, so spell checkers usually flag it with a red underline.
The meaning of “highschool” is perfectly understandable, so no one will be confused. The problem is credibility. In an essay, resume, cover letter, or professional email, the one-word version signals a spelling slip.
High School vs Highschool: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | High school | Highschool |
| Standard spelling | Yes | No |
| Number of words | Two | One (incorrect) |
| Found in dictionaries | Yes | No |
| Accepted in formal writing | Yes | No |
| Typical use | Essays, resumes, news, emails | Usernames, hashtags, casual typos |
The takeaway is simple. Use the two-word form unless you have a special reason not to, and we will cover those few cases below.
Why Preschool Is One Word but High School Is Not
Here is the part that trips people up. English has many school words that are written as a single word:
- preschool
- homeschool
- schoolhouse
- schoolyard
- schoolwork
If preschool is one word, it feels natural that high school should be too. But compound words in English do not follow one tidy rule. Some start as two words, become hyphenated over time, and eventually close up. Others stay open for good.
Preschool and homeschool closed up because they begin with a prefix or a short, tightly joined first part. High school, middle school, and grade school all begin with an adjective describing the level, and those stay open.
So a useful pattern to keep in mind: school levels named with an adjective stay as two words. High school, middle school, elementary school, and grade school all follow it.
Do You Hyphenate High School?
Not in the usual case. You do not need a hyphen in “high school” when it is a noun, and you generally do not need one when it modifies another noun either.
- She is a high school teacher.
- He plays on the high school baseball team.
- The high school reunion is in June.
Some older texts and a few publications do use “high-school” before a noun, but current American style guides lean toward leaving it open. Avoid the hyphen in everyday writing and you will be on safe ground.
One related word is worth knowing. A student is called a high schooler, written as two words. You may see a hyphenated version in some places, but “highschooler” as a single word is not standard.
Do You Capitalize High School?
Treat it like any other common noun. Use lowercase when you mean the general idea, and capitalize when it is part of a school’s official name.
| Situation | Example |
| General reference (lowercase) | “She graduated from high school in 2020.” |
| Official name (capitalized) | “He attended Lincoln High School.” |
| Plural general reference | “Many high schools offer dual enrollment.” |
| Shortened name, no full title | “The school announced a new schedule.” |
When two names are combined, many style guides lowercase the shared word: “Lincoln and Roosevelt high schools.” Either way, the key point is the same. A capital letter belongs to the proper name, not to the phrase “high school” by itself.
Where “Highschool” Shows Up Anyway
You will still see the one-word version in plenty of places. Here is where, and what it means for you.
- Usernames and handles. Spaces are not allowed, so people write “highschoolmemories” or “highschoolbasketball.”
- Hashtags. Spaces break hashtags, so #highschool is normal on social media.
- Website addresses. Domain names cannot include spaces.
- Brand or product names. A company may choose a closed spelling as a stylistic decision.
- Careless typing. Many people simply write it fast and move on.
These cases are about technical limits or style choices, not proper spelling. In sentences, headlines, and body text, go back to two words.
Common Mistakes People Make
Closing the gap. Writing “highschool” because other school words, like preschool, are one word.
Adding the wrong hyphen. Writing “high-school” in a plain noun position, such as “He finished high-school last year.”
Over-capitalizing. Writing “High School” in the middle of a sentence when no specific school is named.
Copying what you see online. Social media captions and comments are full of casual spellings. Seeing something often does not make it standard.
Mixing up levels. Using “highschool” for a college or university. Those are not the same thing. “High school” is secondary education, and “college” or “university” is higher education.
A quick check before you hit send, especially on a resume or application, catches nearly all of these.
High School Example Sentences
Seeing the phrase in real contexts makes the pattern stick.
In a resume or application
- “Graduated from high school with honors.”
- “Captain of the varsity soccer team at Jefferson High School.”
In an email
- “I will visit my old high school next week to speak with students.”
- “Please send my high school transcript to the admissions office.”
In casual conversation
- “Where did you go to high school?”
- “My high school friends and I still meet every summer.”
In news or reports
- “The district plans to renovate three high schools next year.”
- “A high school senior won the state science award.”
In personal writing
- “I learned to drive the summer before high school.”
- “My favorite high school teacher changed how I think about writing.”
Easy Tips to Remember the Spelling
Here are a few tricks that work.
Trick 1: Match it to its siblings. You would never write “middlschool” or “elementaryschool.” High school belongs to the same family, so it keeps the space too.
Trick 2: Think of a level, not a building. Preschool describes a time before school. High school describes a level, and level names stay open.
Trick 3: Picture the gap. When you type it, tap the space bar on purpose. Two words, two taps.
Trick 4: Trust the red line. If your spell checker underlines “highschool,” listen to it. This is one of those cases where it is right.
Quick Practice
Choose the correct form.
- She graduated from (high school / highschool) last spring.
- My cousin is a (high school / highschool) junior.
- He teaches at Roosevelt (High School / Highschool).
Answers: high school, high school, High School.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it highschool or high school?
It is high school, written as two words. “Highschool” is not accepted in standard English. The only common exceptions are usernames, hashtags, and web addresses, where spaces are not allowed.
Is high school one word or two words?
Two words. It is an open compound, like middle school and ice cream. Even though preschool is one word, high school stays separated.
Do you capitalize high school?
Only when it is part of a school’s official name, such as Lincoln High School. In general use, such as “I finished high school,” keep it lowercase.
Is there a hyphen in high school?
No, not in standard usage. Write “a high school student” and “high school graduation” without a hyphen. A student is called a high schooler, also without the one-word merge.