School Curricula Guides

US HS Diploma

US HS Diploma
Country of Origin: United States of America
WhichSchoolAdvisor's annual school survey.

Students who graduate from a US curriculum High School will do so with a High School Diploma, which is a reflection the 14 years of work proceeding it. 

Historically, every US State had its own curriculum standards, and, therefore, the academic quality of the High School Diploma was at best variable!  Over the years, changes have been made not only in terms of a common set of standards being put in place by the US Government - the US Common Core Standards - which apply only to English Language Arts and Math, but Associations of Schools and Colleges, representing geographic areas of the US have been formed to provide accreditation for their members, as a means of guaranteeing the quality of the curriculum provided.

Today, there are four Associations - NEASC, MSA, WASC and Cognia - that are the accreditation organisations who work with schools both within the USA and internationally to ensure that the quality of education delivered will be recognised by colleges and universities in the US.  Students who attend a US curriculum school overseas should ensure that their school is accredited with one of these associations in order to be certain that their High School Diploma will be recognised. 



Finally, perhaps the "real" exam or pass you are looking for for for US universities is not the US high school diploma, but your SAT, or “Scholastic Assessment Test” or ACT, "American College Test". These are compulsory tests, and determine your abilities in writing, mathematics and “critical reading” or reasoning. 


This for example is what Columbia University says matters:

  1. The student’s curriculum and grades - we hope to see that a student is challenging herself or himself with a rigorous course load;
  2. The context of a particular candidate, including family circumstances, secondary school, community, interests and access to resources;
  3. The quality of a student’s involvement in activities beyond the classroom;
  4. The character and personality of a candidate, and the impact she or he will make on our diverse, residential campus;




5 UK Schools offering US HS Diploma

School name Community Region
ACS International School (Cobham) Surrey Greater London
ACS International School (Hillingdon) Surrey Greater London
American School in London Westminster Greater London
Kingham Hill School Oxfordshire South East England
TASIS England Surrey Greater London

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