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secondary school
DCHP-2 (Jul 2016)
The information concerning secondary school concerns primarily the written language, and not the spoken language unless of a very formal, official kind. With this lexeme, the written/spoken split is extreme in Canada.
n. — Education, especially British Columbia
a school offering courses following primary school ; a high school.
Type: 5. Frequency — Secondary school begins in different grades in different provinces and territories, but ends in grade 12 everywhere except Quebec, where grade 11 is the last grade. Grade 12 is the first year of CEGEP, a post-secondary institution unique to Quebec.
As Charts 1 and 2 show for the written language, the term secondary school is most prevalent in Canada. It competes most often with the variant high school, which is used most frequently in the United States (see Chart 2). The term high school is an official designation in the US, which is not the case in Canada--except for Ontario (see TDSB home page). However, in the spoken language in Canada, high school is frequently used to refer to secondary schools. Secondary school as a variant seems to have been come into widespread use in the 1960s (see the 1962 quotation). In Ontario, it was used in the nineteenth century as an umbrella term for any educational institution following elementary school, such as a collegiate, academy or high school (Kiddle & Schem 1877: 667).
The term has so far not been marked Canadian by any Canadian dictionary.
As Charts 1 and 2 show for the written language, the term secondary school is most prevalent in Canada. It competes most often with the variant high school, which is used most frequently in the United States (see Chart 2). The term high school is an official designation in the US, which is not the case in Canada--except for Ontario (see TDSB home page). However, in the spoken language in Canada, high school is frequently used to refer to secondary schools. Secondary school as a variant seems to have been come into widespread use in the 1960s (see the 1962 quotation). In Ontario, it was used in the nineteenth century as an umbrella term for any educational institution following elementary school, such as a collegiate, academy or high school (Kiddle & Schem 1877: 667).
The term has so far not been marked Canadian by any Canadian dictionary.
See the 2015 quotation for an example of the mixed use of high school and secondary school from an official school website.
Quotations
1852
Neither to-day, nor hereafter, ought you to exclude from the Institute the young men who desire to receive a complete instruction, perfected, without at all times pretending to it, by the direction of a secondary school.
1877
There should be adequate and sufficient means secured by the system of education, by which persons living in any part of the country could, after the children had taken advantage of the District School, readily have them admitted to a well-equipped secondary School adapted to prepare them for commercial or industrial pursuits, or for a collegiate or university course.
1900
The prime aim of a secondary school is to lay the foundation of culture - and it is hard to do that, according to the best standard of our time, before sixteen.
1917
The new Minister paid some attention to each end of the "highway" from the elementary school to the university. He proposes to establish "nursery schools," which will probably correspond to our kindergartens, and be, as they are intended to be, preparatory schools for those intending to go through the elementary stage of education. At the other end he expects to greatly improve the secondary schools, of which we are developing in this Province three types: the ordinary academic high school, the commercial high school, and the industrial school.
1957
The traditional secondary school was the college classique, or classical college, offering to entrants who had had elementary education, a course of about eight years leading to the baccalaureate, or a shorter course of much less prestige including some commercial subjects. The classical colleges were financed by fees, by contributions of former pupils, especially clergy, and by income from property or from agriculture. They were controlled by regents, including professors, who were almost all members of the clergy.
1962
It is true that some high schools of good quality are now being called "Secondary Schools," but this indicates that they have classes in technical and commercial subjects under the same roof as those in academic (now called arts and science) subjects.
1976
He said community colleges are nothing more than secondary schools with ash trays, adding that such action might reduce the drop-out level.
1982
Bob Lewis, head of David Thompson's counselling department says it is the students' background that determines whether or not they go to university. Thompson sends a lower percentage of its students to university than any other Vancouver public secondary school. "This is a working class area and there are an enormous number of new Canadian families so more of our students go to community colleges and technical schools."
1996
I don't believe that the funds would be available in an integrated school to offer enrichment. As the parent of a child enrolled in an enriched public secondary school, I am happy with the results. Let us hope the government does not try to fix something that isn't broken.
2008
He did well in secondary school, took music lessons, became class valedictorian and went on to the University of Toronto to study chemical engineering.
2015
Britannia, the second high school to be constructed in the city of Vancouver, is now the oldest remaining secondary school. The first classes were held in the Admiral Seymour building in September, 1908. The school moved to the then partially completed Britannia building in 1910. The school colours of red, green, and white and the school motto "Per Vias Rectas", which means 'straight forward', were adopted at this time.
References
- TDSB • Home Page
- Kiddle & Schem (1877)
Images
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 15 Jan. 2014
