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A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.

Education systems based on the British model have independently marked national examinations instead of a High School Diploma — General Certificate of Secondary Education in England, School Leaving Certificates in Ireland, Higher Grade Examination in School and IGCSE/AICE internationally.

Florida uses the British A-level program (called Advanced International Certificate of Education) for advanced students while a number of schools in Virginia use the IGCSE.

European system use the Baccalaureate system and the International Baccalaureate (IB) is becoming increasingly popular in the USA and worldwide.

Students who attend high school and do not pass the 12th grade, or pass the 12th grade but do not meet the standard graduation requirements will not receive a high school diploma, but will instead receive a certificate of attendance.

Diplomas were originally made of sheepskin, as paper was not very durable and was difficult to create. The sheepskin was made paper thin and information was handwritten. Soon, parchment was used for the diploma and at the turn of the century, the diploma became bound in leather.

Diplomas used to be quite large, but it has become common to print diplomas on standard letter or A4 size paper.

The high school diploma is the symbol of having successfully completed the basic education required by law for youths. Because of this, the presentation of the high-school diploma has become an adulthood rite, that is steeped in ritual. The high-school diploma is given to students at a ceremony called High-school Graduation. Students who have passed their courses will have their names called out, walk across a stage, and be handed their diploma. Recently, it has become the custom to hand out blank pieces of paper wrapped with a ribbon during the graduation ceremony, and send the actual diploma to the student later by mail.

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