page_title: Education in the Philippines
section_title: Secondary Education
hierarchical_section_title: Education in the Philippines / Formal education / K-12 / Secondary Education
caption_attribution_description: English: PSHS SCIENCES-HUMANITIES BUILDING
context_page_description: Education in the Philippines is provided by public and private schools, colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutions in the country. Funding for public education comes from the national government. For the academic year 2017–2018, about 83% of K–12 students attended public schools and about 17% either attended private schools or were home-schooled.
  With the "trifocalization" of the educational system in the country, three government agencies handle each level of education. At the basic education level, the Department of Education sets overall educational standards and mandates standardized tests for the K–12 basic education system, although private schools are generally free to determine their own curriculum in accordance with existing laws and Department regulations. On the other hand, at the higher education level, the Commission on Higher Education supervises and regulates colleges and universities. Meanwhile, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority regulates and accredits technical and vocational education programs and institutions in the country.
context_section_description: Secondary school in the Philippines, more commonly known as "high school" (Filipino: paaralang sekundarya, sometimes mataas na paaralan), consists of 4 lower levels and 2 upper levels. It formerly consisted of only four levels with each level partially compartmentalized, focusing on a particular theme or content. Because of the K-12 curriculum, the high school system now has six years divided into 2 parts. The lower exploratory high school system is now called "Junior High School" (Grades 7–10) while the upper specialized high school system is now called "Senior High School" (Grades 11 and 12).
  Secondary students used to sit for the National Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT), which was based on the American SAT, and was administered by the Department of Education. Like its primary school counterpart, NSAT was phased out after major reorganizations in the education department. Its successors, the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) and National Achievement Test (NAT) were administered to third- and fourth-year students respectively, before the implementation of the K-12 system. The National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) is now being administered for Grade 9 and the National Achievement Test (NAT) is being administered at Grade 6, 10, and 12. Neither the NSAT nor NAT have been used as a basis for being offered admission to higher education institutions, partly because pupils sit them at almost the end of their secondary education. Instead, higher education institutions, both public and private, administer their own College Entrance Examinations (CEE) (subjects covered will depend on the institutions). Vocational colleges usually do not have entrance examinations, simply accepting the Form 138 record of studies from high school, and enrollment payment.
caption: PSHS Main Campus. There is a disparity between rural and urban education facilities in the Philippines.
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