# Did you "go to high school" with someone if they graduated behind you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 25, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052 "2025-12-25T18:44:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/1 "2025-12-25T18:44:03Z")
At a social function the name of an acquaintance came up and I said I had gone to high school with them. Somebody quipped “we didn’t go to high school with them. You and I graduated in ‘79 and they graduated in 1980.” I think this is splitting hairs but wonder about the term. What if I was 2 years ahead of them? Or three? We still went to high school together even though it wasn’t for the entire time. Right? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/2 "2025-12-25T18:48:48Z")
I agree it’s splitting hairs. You could be a senior in high school and friends with a freshman. You may have only been in school together for one year, but technically, you did go to high school with them. IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/3 "2025-12-25T18:53:35Z")
I use different language. I _was in college with_ an Oscar-winning movie star, but I did not _go to college with_ him. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/4 "2025-12-25T18:53:52Z")
If you attended the school at the same time you went to school together. I wouldn’t so much say the person was “splitting hairs”, more that they are an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/5 "2025-12-25T18:57:53Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I use different language. > > I _was in college with_ an Oscar-winning movie star, but I did not _go to college with_ him. What if you were in some classes with them? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/6 "2025-12-25T18:58:03Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I use different language. > > I _was in college with_ an Oscar-winning movie star, but I did not _go to college with_ him. Depends on the size of schools to me. My brother’s high school class was 1100 students, mine was 80. I count everyone who was in grade 9-12 when I was there as my “schoolmate”, only the people taking school leaving exams at the same time as me as “classmates”. I would say I was in school with or went to school with everyone whose years overlapped mine. The maximum size of the “Higher Secondary” section of our school was 327 during my four years there. If I didn’t personally know one of the boys in a higher or lower grade chances are I knew his brother of my parents knew his parents. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/7 "2025-12-25T19:48:27Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > What if you were in some classes with them? That’s the metric I use - either the same year, interacted with socially or actually had classes with. I worked in downtown St. Louis. The Cardinals play in downtown St. Louis. That doesn’t mean we were linked in any way except geographically. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/8 "2025-12-25T19:49:13Z")
In the same hallways during the same years = “went to high school with”. You’d end up at events together, parties together, including non-school functions that appeal to people of the same age range. Me: attended high school in a town of 13,000 people, one high school for the whole county. I might have had a different attitude if I’d been in Albuquerque or Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/9 "2025-12-25T19:52:02Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I think this is splitting hairs but wonder about the term. What if I was 2 years ahead of them? Or three? We still went to high school together even though it wasn’t for the entire time. Right? Where I went to school, we had the high school which was 9th and 10th grade and the senior high which was 11th and 12th. If you were two grades behind me, then I would answer no, we didn’t go to school together. If you were one grade behind me, then I would answer yes, we went to the same school together. If we occupied the same building at the same time, then we were in school together. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/10 "2025-12-25T19:58:40Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Where I went to school, we had the high school which was 9th and 10th grade and the senior high which was 11th and 12th. If you were two grades behind me, then I would answer no, we didn’t go to school together. If you were one grade behind me, then I would answer yes, we went to the same school together. If we occupied the same building at the same time, then we were in school together. I’ve never heard of that system for 9-12, but we had a similar system for junior high / middle school in various districts around where I lived. Some places had middle school for 5th and 6th grade and junior high for 7th and 8th grade. Others included 5th graded in elementary and had one school for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, which might have been referred to as junior high or middle school depending on the particular district. Either way, I’d say as long as we went to the same primary school at the same time, then we went to school together. College is a different story since they’re so much bigger. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/11 "2025-12-25T20:15:54Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I’ve never heard of that system for 9-12, but we had a similar system for junior high / middle school in various districts around where I lived. Some places had middle school for 5th and 6th grade and junior high for 7th and 8th grade. Plano, Texas had a very high population of students and they way it was structed is various elementary schools fed into one of the many middle schools, which then fed into one of the many high schools, and finally fed into one of two senior high schools (there are three now). I attended Plano East Senior high with nearly 2,000 other students and graduated in a class with roughly 850 others. The structure remains the same today, save the population is declining and they’ve shut down a few elementary and middle schools over the last few years. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/12 "2025-12-25T20:16:07Z")
My sister-in-law and I went to [the same high school](https://www.sps186.org/o/southeast). She graduated in 1987, I in 1988. I’ve always said that Brenda & I went to high school together. I had a yuge crush on her best friend. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/13 "2025-12-25T20:42:16Z")
I went to a 4 year high school, 9-12, freshmen, sophmores, juniors, and seniors. If you attended any of these grades while I was also there, we went to high school together. If you were in my same year class I would say that I graduated with you. Less than 200 kids in all 4 grades so I probably knew you personally, family, freinds, parents, where you lived, etc. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/14 "2025-12-25T20:47:26Z")
I agree with you. My high school ran from grade 9 or 10 to 13 (yes, we used to have grade 13 in Ontario) where you started in 9 or 10 based on your feeder school. I took classes and were in the same friend groups as people +/- 1 year. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/15 "2025-12-25T21:20:03Z")
This is the first time I’ve heard anyone suggest that “going to high school with” someone requires that you have the exact same year of graduation. It would be odd to go to high school and only ever interact with kids in your same class year. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/16 "2025-12-25T21:37:04Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > If you attended the school at the same time you went to school together. I wouldn’t so much say the person was “splitting hairs”, more that they are an idiot. A little strong, but I cant argue with your correct points. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/17 "2025-12-25T21:44:32Z")
So I didn’t go to high school with people I dated who weren’t in my year? Nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/18 "2025-12-25T22:26:42Z")
“Went to the same school as”: Could have been any number of years between us. “Went to school with”: There was some moment of time at which were both enrolled in the same school. “Graduated with”: Same school and same graduation year. “Classmate:” There was some specific class that we were both in at the same time (which does not imply “graduated with”, as some high school classes have students from different years). ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/19 "2025-12-25T22:31:29Z")
My best friend and I went to different schools together. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052/20 "2025-12-25T22:43:59Z")
To “go to high school with someone” has always, in my dialect, at least, meant you were both in school at the same as them, regardless of what years you were in. If I wanted to clarify they were in the same year as me, I would explicitly say they were the same year as me, or say “they were in my class.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-go-to-high-school-with-someone-if-they-graduated-behind-you/1026052.md?page=2)