High School: Difference between revisions

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Television writers seem unable to keep clear which conventions are specific to a high school, and which are more appropriate to a college (see also [[Elaborate University High]]). There are often times during the school day when a student may freely wander the building without having to be anywhere in particular, and can freely enter and leave the campus at any time. It is also common for a single class to be canceled, giving a student character some free time. All of these things may exist in some actual US high schools, but it is far and away more common for students to be required to remain in their classrooms unless given written permission to use the restroom or go somewhere else, and many schools even employ guards to stop students from wandering the halls or leaving the campus.

You will notice that the writers often base high school themed works off of where ''they'' went to high school, or off of popular stereotypes that are present in a lot of high schools. Part of the reason [[Alpha Bitch]], [[Bookworm]], and [[Jerk Jock]] tropes are ''so'' prevalent in these works is because ''everybody'' knew someone like that. (Detailed below) It's often heavily exaggerated, too, for [[Rule of Funny]] and [[Rule of Drama]]. As a result of how different all schools are from one another, there's going to be somebody in the audience saying "Have these guys ever actually ''been'' to high school?!"

Fictional American high schools are almost always named after historical presidents of the United States, with the more obscure 19th-century presidents ([[Head of the Class|Fillmore]], [[Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide|Polk]], [[Glee|McKin]][[Freaks and Geeks|ley]]...) most favored though other famous historical figures may be used as well. Hillariously obscure or inappropriate figures (such as George Wallace or [[~~Thirteen (theatre)~~|Dan Quayle]]) may be chosen for comedic effect. A high school named for the community where it is located [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|(Sunnydale High)]] is often used to invoke a small-town or suburban setting and geographic names like [[El Goonish Shive|Moperville North and Moperville South]] usually indicate that a cross-town rivalry is going to figure into the plot. These are the most common sources of names for US high schools in the real world as well.

Fictional American high schools are almost always named after historical presidents of the United States, with the more obscure 19th-century presidents ([[Head of the Class|Fillmore]], [[Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide|Polk]], [[Glee|McKin]][[Freaks and Geeks|ley]]...) most favored though other famous historical figures may be used as well. Hillariously obscure or inappropriate figures (such as George Wallace or [[13|Dan Quayle]]) may be chosen for comedic effect. A high school named for the community where it is located [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|(Sunnydale High)]] is often used to invoke a small-town or suburban setting and geographic names like [[El Goonish Shive|Moperville North and Moperville South]] usually indicate that a cross-town rivalry is going to figure into the plot. These are the most common sources of names for US high schools in the real world as well.

Class-times may vary to suit the needs of the plot, with the result that students may arrive to or depart from the same class to a destination which differs from episode to episode.

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* ''[[Harry Potter]]'''s [[Wizarding School|Hogwarts]] is the magical equivalent of both [[Middle School]] and [[High School]].

* [[Macdonald Hall]] is a series that [[Captain Obvious|takes place in a high school]].

* In ''[[1632]]'' a West Virginia mining town circa 2000 is transported back in time and the local high school becomes the greatest repository of human knowledge in the world. The author then demonstrates just how much knowlegde is available in such a typical school.

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== Western Animation ==

* When not on world-saving missions, ''[[Kim Possible]]'' and friends attend Middleton High, apparently the only high school in a mid-sized city. The only faculty member seen in most episodes is the [[Drill Sergeant Nasty]] coach/teacher, Mr. Barkin. The mascot, portrayed at pep-squad events by hapless sidekick Ron Stoppable, is the Middleton Mad Dog.

* ''[[Family Guy]]'' has Buddy Cianci Junior High and James Woods High School.

* ''[[American Dad]]'' has Pearl Bailey High School.