Should You Put High School on a Resume? (Diploma or Not)

So should you put your high school on a resume?

That depends.

I know, super helpful, but hear me out.

A resume is a living document that changes along with you. Whether you should put your high school on your resume depends a lot on where you are at in your career or whether you’re a student or not.

The answer that works for you now might not be the right answer a couple of years from now.

So let’s answer this question for every scenario out there, from now until the cows come home.

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Here’s more insight into where your high school education makes a difference:

• Student Resume Template
• Resumes for Teens
• Writing a College Student Resume
• Resume for an Undergraduate Student
• College Freshman Resume
• Great High School Resume Templates
• High School Student Resume
• Resume For a High School Graduate
• First Resume with No Experience

Should You Include High School on a Resume?

If you are a high school student, college student, fresh graduate with no work experience, or if your high school diploma is your highest education, you should definitely add your high school education to your resume.

Listing your high school education helps overshadow your lack of work experience by focusing on your knowledge and interests.

When do you stop putting high school on a resume? Once you gain any other form of higher education, you should take your high school off your resume.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

If listing your high school on your resume is the best option for you, you need to know how to do it right.

Remember to include the name of the school, its location, and the year you graduated.

This is what your high school education resume entry should look like:

That’s it!

There’s no reason to mention your high school diploma since, unlike college, you cannot finish high school without receiving a diploma so it comes as a given.

But what if you never graduated? 

That will look a little different:

Short and to the point.

Lying on your resume about having a high school diploma is never a good idea. Recruiters do background checks and will verify if what you listed in your education section is true.

Read more: How to Make Your Resume Education Section Stand Out

High School GPA on a Resume

If you’re adding your high school diploma, you should probably also add your GPA to your resume too, right?

Not necessarily.

You should include your high school GPA if:

• Your high school GPA was really impressive (above 3.5).

• You shouldn’t include your high school GPA if:
• Your high school GPA is lower than a 3.5.
• You’re a college or university student long enough to potentially list that GPA.
• You have a couple of years of work experience.

Here’s an example:

Simple.

Read more: Where to Put a GPA on a Resume

Depending on where you are in your educational and career journey, adding your high school education to your resume might be a good idea.

Keep this in mind when thinking about adding you high school to your resume:

• Include you high school education only if you’re still in school or it’s your highest level of finished education.
• Don’t add your GPA unless it will knock the recruiter’s socks off.
• List your high school education properly, depending on whether you graduated or not.

That’s all there is to it!

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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Thanks for reading! Still have questions about how or when to add high school to your resume? Let us know down in the comments!