Listing high school on resume - yay or nay?

I've seen conflicting advice about whether or not to list your high school on your resume - what are your thoughts? Should I add it, or should I just focus on my college education and more recent accomplishments? Thanks for the help!

It's essential to consider the purpose and target audience for your resume when deciding whether to list your high school. Generally, as you advance in your professional and educational experiences, your high school becomes less relevant, but there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. Here are some guidelines to help you decide:

1. If you're a current college student or a recent college graduate with limited work experience, it may be helpful to include your high school to provide a more comprehensive picture of your background. In these cases, your high school experiences may still be relevant, especially if you held leadership positions or participated in relevant extracurricular activities.

2. If you have significant work experience, have completed internships, or have been working in your field for a few years, you should focus on these more recent accomplishments instead of your high school education. In most cases, employers will be more focused on the skills, knowledge, and experience you've acquired since high school.

3. Consider the relevance of your high school experiences to the position you're applying for. If you're applying for a job that requires skills or knowledge gained from your high school education—such as proficiency in a specific language or a vocational skill—highlighting your high school education may be useful and relevant.

4. If you attended a particularly prestigious or competitive high school, it may still be worth listing it under the education section of your resume, even if you no longer have any of your activities or work experiences from high school listed. The names of certain high schools, like Phillips Exeter Academy, carry weight even in the professional world, and at even large, well-known companies or organizations there's a chance someone there is a fellow alum.

Ultimately, the decision to include your high school on your resume comes down to the specific context, your stage in your career, and the relevance of your high school experiences to the opportunities you're pursuing. As you gain more professional and academic experiences, your high school will likely become less relevant and should eventually be removed from your resume for conciseness and focus, unless you attended an especially prestigious school.

Best of luck with your future academic and professional pursuits!