The High School Years Are Way Different For People Outside Of The US, And These People Are Telling Us Why

It's time to learn about what "high school" is like in other countries, y'all.

heathers scenes where they gather together and say "oh my god, here we go"
heathers scenes where they gather together and say "oh my god, here we go"

New World Pictures / Via giphy.com

After years of being bombarded by images of what high school is like in the states, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to dish on what schooling during the teen years is like in their countries.

kids passing notes down a row in a classroom
kids passing notes down a row in a classroom

Kristofer Barton / Via giphy.com

Here's how they described schooling around the world.

1.Australia

Aerial view of a high school campus in Australia

Another Aussie shared their experience.

four teenage girls in uniforms walking down a walkway together

2.Germany

three women leaning in to see something

"Now, to what it is like. School normally starts around 7:40 a.m., a period lasts 45 minutes, followed by a five-minute break. Most schools will have their 'big break' (15-20 minutes) after second period. Unless you have afternoon school, usually the school day ends after sixth period, around 1 p.m."

Secondary school in Germany

"There are electives, like literature, psychology, philosophy, astronomy, etc. but not before 11/12th grade."

two teenage boys working on a robotic project in a german high school

3.Caribbean

Secondary school in Trinidad

4.United Kingdom

two teenage girls in uniforms working with science manipulatives

A couple of BuzzFeed Community members likened their UK high school experience to The Inbetweeners.

teenage boys dancing in "the inbetweeners"
teenage boys dancing in "the inbetweeners"

Bwark Productions Young Films / Via giphy.com

"I grew up in the UK, and the closest representation I can think of when it comes to school is The Inbetweeners. It is scary how accurate it is to English secondary schools — the sex pest who claims they know it all, the one who will clearly vote Tory and take things too seriously, the one who's not all that clever, the knobbish teacher who follows his own rules, even the teacher who gets too comfortable with the students (for the record, in my school it was the IT teacher)."

hobbitgirl96

Teenage boy trying to flag down two teenage girls who walk right past him on "The Inbetweeners"
Teenage boy trying to flag down two teenage girls who walk right past him on "The Inbetweeners"

Bwark Productions Young Films / Via giphy.com

"Inbetweeners is a much better example of UK school than Skins or anything! Bunch of horny idiots lacking any social skills.

I went to a Grammar school in the SE of England, which means I had to test to get in. Year 7-9 (11-14) was pretty standard, the whole class would attend together, maybe sets for maths. Year 10/11 was GCSE, so we had our own individual choices and schedules, but still core subjects like math, English, and science. My school also had a sixth form, which was basically year 12/13 for A levels. You took three or four subjects only and only had to be in school for classes. We could also ditch the uniform at that point but still had to dress for 'business.' So, a bunch of 17-year-olds looking like work experience mostly!! This was all 20 years ago, though."

harleybear

5.South Africa

South African students working at their desks in uniforms

6.Canada

lockers in a high school hallway

7.The Netherlands

outside of a school building in Amsterdam

8.Serbia

three teenagers talking in the hallway at school

9.Brazil

students sitting in class taking notes

10.Sweden

Teens talking in class in a classroom in Sweden

11.Israel

students sitting in class learning in Israel

12.Finland

Finland upper secondary school

13.New Zealand

New Zealand students lined up outside of their school for a photo opportunity

"4.) At the end of the school year, there was a prize-giving ceremony that students and parents went to, and prizes were given for various academic, arts, or sporting achievements."

New Zealand students playing rugby

14.India

Indian student and teacher working together with science equipment

Who do you think has it the best? What are your own experiences like? Talk about it in the comments!