High school is the term used to describe the last part of the regular schooling process. It usually entails 9th grade through 12th grade, but in some communities junior high schools may go through the 9th grade therefore making the high school encompass the 10th through 12th grade. It typical cases, it is preceded by middle school.
1.2 million students dropped out of high school in 2006 and only 70% of the students who started high school four years ago earned a diploma. These figures have been relatively constant for the last five years.[1]