“What high school is like in 2023”

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As soon as I entered high school, I knew of the unspoken pressure that had been put on my shoulders, the demand for excellence that would be expected of me. Navigating a grueling competition between peers with challenges at every turn was demanding as is, but amidst a global pandemic, it was nearly impossible. Days when my education’s uncertain future shadowed my previous childlike curiosity and passion for learning. In today’s high schools, the pursuit of education and knowledge has transformed into a cutthroat competition where students are more concerned with outperforming their classmates than actually learning.

More than ever, high school students are experiencing extreme pressure to succeed. Parental and societal expectations only fuel the growing competitiveness between students. College’s increasing interest in admitting a “well-rounded” student also stresses students to excel in athletics and extracurriculars on top of academics. With the rate of teenage depression continuing to rise and the immense issue of mental health in younger generations, toxic environments in school may be to blame. Where clubs and sports used to be a space for young people to socialize with their peers, these spaces have become another competitive environment where students struggle to set themselves apart. Stress, anxiety, and poor physical health are huge concerns in the increasingly strenuous education system.

For many teens, school has become a dreaded duty that provides little benefit to them. School should be a place where students can develop their ability to learn critical thinking skills; however, high schools today prioritize task completion and memory over performance and creativity. The standardized testing system utilized in schools today also cannot effectively evaluate a student’s learning and future potential. For students who do not wish to continue their academic career after high school, many of the required courses and materials do not help prepare them for their future careers.

Although people argue a competitive academic climate motivates students to work harder, the truth is what used to be a wholesome contest to achieve more has turned today’s schools into a toxic environment, detrimental to students’ mental health and self-esteem.

If high schools returned to preparing students for future careers and allowing them to find their passions rather than receiving the best grades to enter the most prestigious schools, teens would not have a drastic amount of pressure on them to succeed academically. Increasingly, over the past years, more colleges have not considered standardized test scores in admission. While this allows for a more inclusive and comprehensive view of students and their character, where will this movement continue? If standardized testing systems do not accurately depict students’ abilities, who’s to say a grade pode point average does?