High School Education on Your Resume: Compulsive or Not?

There's a designated spot to list your high school education (or university qualifications) on your resume and it is none other than the education section. High school education aka academic details are crucial in a resume and if you are a current high school student looking for a job then to include your high school details becomes essential.

Last update:

01/01/2024

High School Education on Your Resume: Compulsive or Not?

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In this article, you will read how to include your high school education on your resume with relevant information related to major achievements, college education, sample resume, courses relevant, etc. Hence, let's get started with the discussion.

High School Education in the US

The United States education system define grade 9 to 12 as mandatory high school education. This compulsive form of education decides the further career journey of a student. It is after higher education a student attend college or enters the job market. Yes, after earning a high school diploma one can apply for jobs.

After attending high schools the student is awarded a high school graduate degree as the highest level of education if he or she doesn't wish to pursue further studies. Hence, if you are a graduated high school student then a high school diploma is your highest education to date which you can add to your resume.

Now that we have a background check on the subject let's discuss another side of the coin.

High School Education on Your Resume

Attending high school classes and earning a high school diploma is altogether a different thing. To list high school education in a resume is a new skill that every high school graduate must know. This section explains to you the essentialism to stop putting high school education in the wrong way.

Before we get started with how to include your high school education in a resume it is critical to understand what is a high school diploma, high school GPA, and other details. So, let's hear it out.

High School Diploma

Also, known as a high school degree (unlike college degree) a high school diploma is awarded after completing four years of studies from grade nine to twelve. If a student doesn't finish high school then a GED test becomes mandatory to earn a high school diploma.

For this, a student must pass the GED test with a minimum required score at a testing center. Following is the list of different types of high school diplomas awarded to high school students. Refer to them and see which one will convince the hiring manager.

Honors high school diploma
General high school diploma
Occupational high school diploma
Certificate of attendance
Graduate Equivalency Degree

High School GPA

GPA means grade point average that shows your average scores in total on a scale of 1.0 to 4.0. It becomes critical to list your high school GPA in a resume of looking for a job. On the other hand, it is subjective as to whether or not you must list your high school GPA in the resume.

Generally speaking, one must not include your high school GPA if lower than 3.0. Any number that is beyond 3.0 is permitted. This goes for a college degree because GPAs are calculated in college education as well. So the short answer is to include your high school GPA only if it is equal to or more than 3.0.

Don't include GPA at all in the resume if it is 2.0 or 2.9 because hiring managers won't entertain these numbers. It is better to skip the same. Makes sense right?

High School Details in a Resume

We read significant details about adding education on a resume but we are still unaware of the types of details in a resume. So, what kind of academic achievements must be included in a sample resume? The right answer is listed below. Take a look.

Name of the diploma or degree awarded by the high school education department.
The name of the awarding institute aka school name.
The location of the school or academic organization where you finished education.
Grade point average equal to or more than 3.0.
Finally, the graduation date.
If you have graduated in special subjects then mention relevant information.

Adding High School Education Properly

A well-defined educational and career journey in a resume can help an applicant get a decent job with a good salary. We all know this well. But what we don't know is how to add education on a resume to draw attention of a hiring manager. Refer to the following examples.

#1 Education Section

(High school diploma)
(School name)
(City, state)
(High school GPA)
(Graduation date)

(Relevant Coursework)

#2 Education Section

(High school diploma)
(School name)
(City, state)
(High school GPA)
(Expected graduation date)

(Relevant Coursework)

College Education on Your Resume

Similar to a degree from high school on your resume, a college graduate can and must include a master's or a bachelor's degree in the resume. If there's anything beyond a college degree then potentially list the same to convince the hiring manager.

Here's an example below to help college or university student to add degrees to their resume. Hence, if you are still a college student looking for a part-time job or someone who has recently graduated can use the following template.

Education Details

(Master Degree)
(College/university)
(City, state)
(Year)

(Coursework)

(Bachelor Degree)
(College/university)
(City, state)
(Year)

(Coursework)

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High School Education on Your Resume: FAQs

Go through some frequently asked questions and answers for reference purposes before we conclude the student resume topic in this article.

What is trade school education?

A trade school differs from regular schools in unique ways. For instance, normal educational activities are conducted in schools whereas industrial training focused on developing skills is carried out in a trade institute. Students in trade and normal schools both are awarded certificates upon completion but they both vary in purposes. Nowadays specialized trade skills are taught in schools. Include your high school trade certificate in the resume if you have one.

Should a recent graduate from an academy write a cover letter?

A cover letter is required by a fresh graduate or someone who graduated long ago. Hiring managers appreciate it with a resume. Even a student who is pursuing his or her academics and at the same time looking for a job should send a letter. Other candidates who have completed their academics can also write a similar letter to get employed.

What you should not add to the academic section of a college student resume?

Activities apart from academics in college or school on your resume won't serve the purpose. For example, adding skills or any other form of details in the academics section. A resume contains six different sections and content must be distributed accordingly otherwise it will destroy the sole purpose. For sports achievement in school on your resume must come under additional details.

Who can add professional achievements to a resume?

Try to put yourself in the recruiter's socks when you refer to a teacher's resume. Adding professional details by an experienced teacher is viable because he or she has a long career path. What would a fresher add to the work experience section given a chance? Nothing. Hence, a seasoned employee with a rich employment history can add those details to a resume.

How many pages long a resume must be?

The length of a resume depends on the content but ideally, it must be only one page long. A resume having more than one page is a history. Nowadays we have modern resume templates to accommodate all the details given in the job description. Even freshly graduated university student long details can fixed on a single page. Try the Google docs resume template.