When you finish high school what is it called?
John Thompson
Updated on January 14, 2026
The high school diploma is the basic U.S. qualification awarded to students who graduate from secondary school after 12 years of formal instruction. High school diplomas are issued by states or local districts to public school graduates, and by the school to private school graduates.
U.S.
In its noun form, the word generally means a resident or citizen of the U.S., but is also used for someone whose ethnic identity is simply "American". The noun is rarely used in English to refer to people not connected to the United States when intending a geographical meaning.
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