Should You Include Your High School Diploma on a Resume?

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Table of contents

When Should You Include Your High School Education on a Resume?
How to Include a High School Diploma on a Resume (With Examples)
Key Takeaways
Resources to Help With Your Job Search

Graduating from high school is an important rite of passage for young adults around the world. For many, it is the first point of entry into adulthood. Whether high school was your stepping stone to a college degree or whether it prepared you to enter the workforce, you may be wondering if you should include your high school on your resume. Our guide will help you answer that question.

We'll walk you through:

When should you include your high school on a resume?
How to display a high school diploma on a resume.
Key takeaways to keep in mind moving forward.

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When Should You Include Your High School Education on a Resume?

When creating your first resume, it can be hard to know what to include and what to leave out. Resumes, especially for early-career candidates, should be brief and stick to the important points. But what does that mean for your education section? How far back should you go? The answer actually depends on you!

A high school diploma does belong on a resume if it is still relevant for the candidate. Generally, this means that you should only include high school on a resume if it is your highest level of education. If you've gone on to earn a college degree, whether it's an associate, a bachelor or something even higher, your education section should list your degrees and leave out your high school diploma.

On the other hand, if you're building a resume while attending high school or entering the workforce straight out of high school without attending college, then your high school education still belongs on your resume.

Here are some situations where a high school diploma should be included on your resume:

When you're still in high school.
When you're a college student with a completed high school diploma but you're only in your freshman or sophomore year of college. By the time you're a junior, an "in-progress" college degree is enough without mentioning high school.
When you don't have a college degree.

How to Include a High School Diploma on a Resume (With Examples)

Now that we've covered when it is appropriate to list your high school diploma, let's look at some sample education section entries that feature in progress or completed high school coursework.

Sample resume education section with a high school diploma:

Springfield High School – Springfield, IL

Diploma, June 2023

GPA: 3.8/4.0

Pro tip

Including your high school GPA on your resume can help your accomplishments stand out, but it should only be done if your GPA is 3.0 or higher. Additionally, as your career grows and you mature past high school, it becomes less and less important. Eventually, you should dedicate that attention to on-the-job achievements instead.

Sample resume education section for a current high school student:

La Jolla High School – San Diego, CA

High School Diploma (Expected June 2025)

Relevant coursework: Biology, Computer Science, Business Essentials

Pro tip

For a current high school student or a recent graduate who is having a tough time coming up with work experience, including relevant coursework from high school can help bridge the gap. Just like with your GPA, these sections should be phased out as you gain more relevant experience.

Sample resume education section with a high school diploma for a current college student:

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, MI

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (In Progress)

Expected Graduation: May 2028

Relevant coursework: Introduction to Programming, Data Structures, Calculus

Lansing High School – Lansing, MI

Diploma, June 2024

Pro tip

This candidate included dates for both their high school diploma and upcoming college degree. For a recent graduate, this is the right move because it adds context to your lack of experience and shows your readiness for entry-level roles. Once you have a few years of experience, leave the dates off your resume. They become less relevant and may even introduce age bias.

Key Takeaways

Only include high school if it's still relevant.
You should only include high school on your resume if it is your highest level of education or if you are in the early stages of obtaining a college degree.
Include relevant coursework if you lack experience.
While making your first resume, you may struggle with filling your experience section. Use your high school coursework to fill in the gaps if it is relevant and recent.
List your graduation date for the first few years.
Your graduation date is an important context at first, but after a few years, it begins to run the risk of exposing you to ageism. Omit it from your resume once you have a few years of work history under your belt.