Ideal High School

The ideal high school is very subjective. Even so, many have made attempts at such a lofty feat, but however impossible the goal is, the path towards that goal is surprisingly straight forward. No one would call the high schools of today ideal, but with a few tweaks, the average high school can get close. The layman may believe the role of a high school is solely to educate students, but nothing is further from the truth. A high school’s job is to prepare students for being an adult. Each student is different, and the ideal high school must be able to serve someone going to college as well as someone getting their GED. To get a modern high school as close to ideal as possible, the necessary changes can be roughly divided into academics, school …show more content…
There are obvious improvements to suggest, such as better teachers and a comprehensive, but those are easier said than done. The addition of study hall or something similar after school, where students can stay after and study with their peers or their teachers instead of heading home is much simpler. Students who are dedicated to grades can get extra study time, while students who are not so grade focused just do not go. The ideal high school would organize classes with a focus on academic ability. Grade levels will still be based on age, but not all members of a grade take the same courses. Many high schools currently implement such a multi – level class system, with low, regular, Honors, and AP classes, and the ideal high school would use the basic tenets behind that system. Students should also be given more freedom through electives and “opt out” courses. Mandatory common core classes should not be necessary in an ideal high school. Instead, students should be allowed to opt out of their common core classes, provided they pass an exam on the topic. Students can then take the courses they are interested in, and still receive credit for classes they are already proficient in. The end result would be harder working, happier, and more interested students. Higher level students will not be held back, and lower level students will take the classes and receive the …show more content…
The high school should have a myriad of classes and extracurricular activities to be able to suit the equally diverse student population. The ideal high school should have the common seasonal sports, football, tennis, soccer, etc. to compete with other schools in the region, as well as support for academic competitions entered by students not athletically inclined. Ideally, a system would be set in place allowing a student to start up a club or extracurricular if he or she had other students and a faculty member to oversee the activity on board. Instead of high school ending at the last bell, students can stay behind and participate in whatever suits