Should I Put My High School on My Resume? When to Include or Drop It

If you are asking should I put my high school on my resume, the answer depends on your highest completed education. Keep high school, or a GED, while it is your highest credential. Drop it as college moves along, and take it off once you have a degree, unless a job specifically asks for it. This page walks through each stage so you can make the call in a minute.

Should I put my high school on my resume? Start with your highest education

The default rule for high school on resume education sections is simple: keep it while it is your highest completed education, and remove it once something higher replaces it. Builder guides such as Resume.io’s guide to high school education and Enhancv’s article on high school on a resume state the same include-when-highest rule.

Stage table (illustrative):

• Still in high school: keep it. It is your education entry.

• High school graduate, no college yet: keep it.

• College, years one to two: it can stay in year one; plan to remove it during year two unless an item is highly relevant.

• Later college years: drop it in most cases.

• College graduate: take it off.

• Experienced professional without a degree: keep a one-line diploma or GED entry as your highest credential, and drop high school activities.

These are practical defaults, not universal law. The sections below explain each stage, including what two university career centers say about the college years.

Still in high school or just graduated: keep it

If you are in high school or just finished, include high school on resume drafts as your main education entry. List the school, the diploma or expected diploma, and the year.

The bigger question at this stage is which high school activities to keep. Miami University Career Services’ resume guide advises leaving out high school experience unless it is your only work experience or relates directly to the role. For a recent graduate, that usually means a part-time job, a leadership role or a project tied to the job you want stays in, while unrelated activities go.

Illustrative example (invented applicant): a recent graduate applying to a bookstore keeps a part-time library assistant job and drops a one-season sports club.

If this is your first resume and you have no job history at all, see how to write a resume with no work experience for the full build.

In college: drop it by about your second year

College is when high school starts to come off. The University of Maryland University Career Center suggests removing high school experience by your second year in college. The UNC Career Center’s student resume guide says to include high school experiences only if you are a first- or second-year student, or if they are highly relevant.

So the practical rule: in your first year, high school can stay. By your second year, plan to remove high school from resume drafts and replace it with college coursework, campus jobs, projects and internships. By your third year, it should usually be gone.

Illustrative exception (invented student): a sophomore applying for a summer coding internship keeps one line about the high school robotics team she captained, because it shows the exact skills the posting asks for. Everything else from high school comes off.

These are guidelines from two career centers, not a rule every employer applies. Relevance can override the timeline.

After a degree: take it off

Once you have a college degree, take high school off your resume. The degree already implies the earlier credential, and the space is better used for recent, relevant proof: internships, jobs and projects that support this application. Resume.io and Enhancv give the same advice.

Removing it also frees up room. For how long the whole resume should be, see how many pages a resume should be.

When to keep it even with a degree

The exceptions are narrow:

• The posting asks for it. If the job lists a high school diploma or equivalent as a requirement and you want to confirm it in the posting’s own words, a short line does that.

• A specific item is directly relevant. Miami and UNC both tie high school content to direct or high relevance. One item closely tied to the role can stay as a single line.

Outside those cases, leave it off. Do not keep it out of habit.

GED or equivalency on your resume

Listing a GED on resume education sections works the same way as a diploma when it is your highest completed credential. Enhancv treats a GED as the highest completed credential in exactly this way. There is no need to explain it or apologize for it. It is a credential, and it goes in your education section like any other.

Illustrative entry:

GED (General Educational Development) · Columbus, OH · 2022

If you later earn a college degree, the same rule applies as for a diploma: the degree replaces it.

How to list it briefly when you keep it

A high school entry should be short. Include:

• School name

• City and state

• Diploma or credential

• Graduation year, or expected year

Add an honor only if it supports this application.

Illustrative entry (invented school):

Lakeview High School · Dayton, OH

High School Diploma · Expected June 2027

Include the graduation year when it is recent or expected, since it tells the reader where you are. For older entries, the year is optional. Keep the entry inside your existing education section; there is no need to reorder the rest of the section.

FAQ

What if I went to college but did not finish?

List the college you attended, with your dates or relevant coursework. Keep high school only while it is still your highest completed credential. Without a finished degree, that may still be the case, so a short diploma line can stay.

Should I include my high school GPA or activities?

Only as an early college student, or when they are highly relevant to the role. UNC limits high school experiences to first- and second-year students or highly relevant cases, and Miami advises leaving them out unless they are your only work experience or directly related.

Conclusion: Highest education first, then relevance

Start with your highest completed education. Keep high school or a GED while it is your top credential, drop it by about your second year of college, and take it off after a degree. After that, let relevance to the job decide any exceptions.