Are American high schools really like the way they are portrayed in movies?

I'm from Australia, and I've grown up with all those types of 'Mean girls', 'High School Musical' sort of movies where they portray American high schools to be full of cliques and that sort of thing. And I was wondering, are high schools in America really like that? What are high schools in America really like?Are American high schools really like the way they are portrayed in movies?My high school wasn't anything like that. It depends on what kind of school you go to and where. I'm assuming those are suburban, higher income level schools. I didn't go to high school in that type of environment.Are American high schools really like the way they are portrayed in movies?
Most like 90% arent. You usually can skirt drama and have an array of friends if you want to. In my highschool real cliques were nonexistent. a school of around 3000 kids. but we mengled between the smart kids and the sports and the drama kids...and then one of those kids would know the kid with the crazy hair....so on it went.



But dont get me wrong, their will always be catty people everywhere you go. There was one group of girls who just were always together. And their were snotty didn't really want to talk to anyone else...but that did not make them 'oh so popular' they had a good amount of friends but a lot of people didn't really like them. But that was about it. Most people hung with their friends...and just when you would say oh he hangs with all of these people you'd see him joking with a completely different friend in the hallway. So i think movies are really unrealistic.



Though i think you can bring a lot of drama to school if you wanted. And i also think no real because in most places when the drama does start rolling people are snobby and spreading gossip, but it will be that one person that will just start a fight and get suspended no matter what school your in and how nice the people are because they have their own probs and they dont care what anyone has to say. Are American high schools really like the way they are portrayed in movies?Well, these movies are usually over-done for comedy's sake (or drama's sake). And it all depends on who you are, where you went to high school and what your individual experience was like. HSM is a musical, and musicals are hardly ever anything like real life! Mean Girls is a little like some people's high school experiences, but still blown out of proportion (otherwise it wouldn't make you laugh). I think the two most realistic American high school shows I ever saw were 'My So-Called Life' and 'Freaks and Geeks.' They were the closest to my experience, at least.
my high school is nothing like hsm or mean girls. there are cliques but they don't have names and they don't only sit with each other at lunch. everybody mixes at my school. but some do like at my school all the "gangsters" sit together and all the NJ-ROTC (its a Junior military thing) sit together. but yeah at mine at least its not like that. Are American high schools really like the way they are portrayed in movies?First of all it's nothing like HSM, but a little bit like Mean Girls. The difference is that everybody can be mean if you mess with them. Yes there are cliques: the jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, geeks, goth, punk, and so on. I was a social butterfly so I had friends in every clique. It's the best way to survive high school in America.Are American high schools really like the way they are portrayed in movies?
Some are, some aren't.

I think that best way to know how is the typical american high school is to ask the typical american.

They can give you a better answer.
Not at all like HSM. Come on, man. Mean Girls, maybe a little.Are American high schools really like the way they are portrayed in movies?
It depends, on how good the school is and what kind of neighborhood it's in!
I just finished 4 years at an american high school in may (graduated) and it really wasn't that dramatic. Alright here's what it was like at my high school:



In the cafeteria there were usually only freshman and some sophomores or people who didn't have much money that day. Everyone with an off-campus pass usualyl went to Sonic or McDonalds to get food and either ate there or came back to talk in the halls.



Out front by the flag pole was the social area, everyone met everyone there because it was near the parking lot and the cafeteria. Skaters and non-conformists liked to hang out there especially.



There was a place where people smoked and did Weed on the other side of the ditch just past the school fence. Skaters, Theater people, Goths, emos, non-conformists and and one who wanted to do something not allowed on school grounds (like smoke) came to the ditch. I never went there much, but the first week or so fo school they would have "ditch crew initiations" where they push you into the ditch full of water adn then everyone accepts you there.



In the library the highly-gifted (super smart) kids used to hang out and played chess a lot (everytime I went in there at lunch, they were playing some chess) and some people went on there to get on the computers and myspace (usually preps)



A lot of the Football Players (I was one of these for 4 years) liked to hang out in the filed house, which was where we had our football gear stored and near the coaches offices. We always used to go off campus to buy food and then come back to the field house to eat with the guys.



In the Theater Room at lunch the D%26amp;D nerds liked to come and play card games like magic the gathering and whatnot with the drama teacher who was like 26 or something and really friendly and funny. I went there a few times over the years and all they did was talk and play cards.



We had a Christian Club called Student Venture that met on Thursdays at lunch. I went there my freshman and sophomore years and we played games, talked about God, and almost always had pizza from the sponsors. A lot of christian preps, skaters, smart-kids and anyone else used to go there, it was really friendly.



At the basketball court there was always a few games at lunch. usually there were about 20-50 kids playing there and like 20 or 30 people sitting down and just talking and watching them sitting by the fence inside the court. A lot of gangsters and skaters liked to hang out there.



Off-Campus at the Sonic across the street from the school there were always at least 20 or 30 kids there buying food and chatting at lunch. This was the most social place at lunch hour and a lot of people went there to skip classes.



In my theater classes over the years people were very social. Drama people are usually preps and smart kids and there were almost no jocks ever, I only met one other (our receiver) who took the class for just one year I think. There were several cheerleaders though. Theater is a very creative and social place.



In other classes (like biology and math) usually we didn't talk much until the instructor sat down and gave us paperwork to do, then we usually helped each other and ended up socializing a lot.









Well that's what my high school was like. so tell me, what are high schools abroad in other countries like?