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I think of it more of a milestone than an "accomplishment". I don't think it's as mundane as "putting on deodorant", and deserves some celebration as a milestone, but also not a *huge* deal either. And in some lines of work, the masters degree is the new bachelors and having "just" a bachelors is an expected bare minimum rather than a really big deal too.

Ummmm.... for some segments of the population, it is a big deal. The graduation rate for my state is only 77% and in the district I teach, it is worse. My students should feel proud of themselves for conquering the odds and surmounting barriers (learning English as a second language, lower quality education due to so many factors, having uneducated parents, temptations of drugs and alcohol, risk of teenage pregnancy, moving often.)

I think for other, upper-middle class etc groups, it is more of a milestone / rite of passage, not necessarily a huge accomplishment.

In my family/social circle it wasn't (and isn't) a big deal. Just a step in the process of education. But to some people it's huge! And they should be able to celebrate and feel proud.

As far as parties - most of the high school graduation parties I went to were less about celebrating the actual graduation and more about celebrating friendships. And saying goodbye to your friends. I had my high school "graduation party" that August so we could all get together.

It’s not a big deal (as compared to busting your butt in grad school), but it’s an accomplishment worthy of celebration even if that just means a special lunch or dinner with your immediate family. It’s the end of your compulsory education and yet it’s not mandatory you finish. Now, in my household I already knew what was next (college) and even for those who choose other paths such as military service or trade schools graduating high school is the end of an era. If you haven’t already turned 18 while in HS, like me, your end of HS days are punctuated by you becoming a legal adult. Voting was a big deal to me.

For LO, I’m sure we’ll celebrate and have a trunk party for him. He probably will have already received a car at 16. Now, if he isn’t headed to college then I bet getting him through high school will mean even more to me like “thank goodness you made it through school at least!” @desertdreams88: any unforeseen hardship in our future LO will not experience what your students are all too familiar with, which can greatly impact finishing school. Your students and their families should certainly celebrate!

I think it deserves a celebration. If you haven't moved around a lot, you've likely been through elementary, middle, and high school with mostly the same group of friends. High school graduation is the last time that group will be together on a regular basis, as everyone heads off to different colleges. Yes, college is an expectation for a lot of people, but it's a completely different phase of life. Living in the dorms and making new friends from all over is so different than going to school growing up. It's a big transition.

@Mamaof2: I probably sounded more defensive in my post than I meant to - This past week I've been emailing with 3 former families of mine about their kids' graduations, getting a ticket to see the graduation, arranging babysitting so I can go, finding them all on facebook after 7 years and friend requesting them, and sending individual messages of congratulations to 4 of them. They are my first student group to be graduating and given that I know their stats and history and family background... I am a very proud teacher mama right now!

Graduating high school is a big deal. Celebrate it. It is a shift in being a child to have more adult responsibilities for most people. I work with many students (I'm a teacher) whose parent(s) did not finish high school. It is a big goal to push them towards. For those of us who were privileged enough for it to be the normal, it's still a major stepping stone in life. But I like parties, so there's that too.

I would throw myself a party for surviving my kid's teenage years.

I think its a big deal, but I'm also a fan of transitional ceremonies in general. I think our culture could use more of them.

also, i agree with previous posters who have mentioned the privilege inherent in equating graduating high school with blowing your nose. It is not an easy accomplishment for all students, and many communities (including the one I grew up in) it is not taken for granted and is very often the highest formal education some people receive. College isn't for everyone.

@Mamaof2: I think it was a big deal. I remember all of my senior week of high school, the parties, the emotional ceremony, saying goodbye to friends. All of it. It was a huge milestone at the time. By contrast my college and law school graduations were just relatively normal days.

It is a big deal! It’s an accomplishment that may be easy for many but isn’t for everyone. It’s also the end of years spent with the same people who you then may see infrequently to never. I always saw it as a mark of passing into adulthood. I put it in the same camp as a quince or sweet sixteen.

These boards attract such a niche group of women (I may be overreaching but I would say in general solid middle class / college educated people). I think in that niche high school graduation is probably not that big of a deal.

Neither of my parents completed college. No one on my mother's side siblings wise had and I'm the oldest cousin so I was the first to go onto higher education. It was a huge deal to them.

I agree for me it is more of a milestone but it's a big one. I'll be excited for my kids and celebrate it but I'm also excited for preschool graduation this fall and my child hasn't really achieved anything to earn that designation

I went to a pressure cooker high school and found it to be a socially isolating and unpleasant experience. All I wanted to do was escape to college and put it behind me.

My parents insisted on throwing a graduation party which I did not want. I thought it was dumb. I did not feel that graduating from high school was an accomplishment; it was simply an exercise in meeting people's expectations.

I hope I can find some better balance for my children and that they don't look back on high school as four years of somewhat wasted time.

My parents got their Ivy League acceptance out of it though, so at least there's that.

It’s a milestone and should be celebrated as such. I did not have a graduation party but my parents took me out to a nice dinner. (Same as college).
That being said, I think the recent implementation of kinder graduation ceremony and pre-K graduation ceremony is ridiculous. We did not have those growing up!!

Oh my gosh, yes, it's a huge deal! I don't think it's that graduating is "unique" but rather it's the benchmark for ending the first major segment of your life and the capstone of 13 years of K-12 education. Although I received a bachelor's and master's degree, my high school graduation felt the most significant to me.

It’s a huge milestone in my opinion. The kids are now considered an adult and most are leaving home to go to college afterwards. I think that’s deserving of a party!