High School Resume Templates & Examples: Free Download

A high school student resume is important because it serves many purposes, including: 

• Applying to an after-school or part-time job. 
• Supplementing a college application.
• Helping you get comfortable with resume writing. 

A resume can also help self-evaluate your high school career. For example, you can include non-honors and non-academic achievements in your resume, like spearheading a club, if you were recognized by peers and teachers, leadership role in extracurricular activities and more.

A high school student resume should include the same elements as a professional resume, such as your name, contact information, education, work experience and skills. See what to put on a resume for additional guidance. 

Because you are starting out, you can include other sections to highlight your skills, such as:

• Work experience: Include any part-time jobs you’ve had, such as babysitting, tutoring or working at a store or restaurant.
• Extracurricular activities: Mention clubs, teams or organizations you’ve participated in, including any leadership roles you’ve held.
• Volunteering experience: List any volunteer work you’ve done, including the name of the organization, your role and the dates you volunteered.
• Awards and honors: Mention any academic or other awards you’ve received, such as being on the honor roll or receiving a scholarship.
• Projects: If you’ve completed any notable projects, such as a research paper or a science fair project, include them on your resume.
• Certifications: List any relevant certifications, remembering to provide details such as the certification name, issuing organization and date of completion.

You can make your high school resume stand out by including relevant academic achievements and honors and highlight a blend of soft skills and hard skills. Here are a few additional tips to keep in mind: 

• Show how you pursue your interests: Creating a club or joining an organization can show your interests, commitment and discipline. 
• Highlight your entrepreneurial spirit: Babysitting, mowing lawns, building websites, doing art commissions or anything else help showcase your willingness to learn on your own.
• Include your volunteer experience: Whether you stick with one cause or enjoy helping different organizations, add these activities to your resume.

Your resume should always be tailored to the job description. An employer would want to know about your skills, while a college application benefits from knowing more about your extracurriculars. 

Before you start writing your resume, keep in mind what you’re creating it for and use that to tailor your resume. If it is for a job, use the job description and include keywords on your resume. If you’re creating it as an addition to your college application, include everything you can from your high school career. Here are a few more tips to consider: 

• Include your contact information. Limit it to email and phone numbers. There is no need to include an address, city and state should suffice.
• Create a resume summary or objective. 
• Use bullet points to include a list of soft and hard skills.
• Include certifications like CPR, first aid or CompTIA A+.
• Include your employment experience, such as part-time jobs, internships or volunteer experience. 
• Keep in mind hobbies that you can list on your resume if they are relevant to the job. 

You can follow our guide on how to write a resume with no experience to create each section. We also recommend checking out the best AI resume builders to make a tailored high school resume in a matter of minutes.

Including your high school GPA on your resume depends on a few factors. If your GPA is above 3.0, it can be a positive addition to your resume, especially if you don’t have much work experience. 

Some employers or colleges may request your GPA as part of the application process, so having it readily available on your resume can save time.

However, if your GPA is lower than 3.0 or you have other impressive accomplishments to highlight, such as volunteer work or extracurricular activities, it may be better to leave it off.

The education section of your resume should include your high school’s name, the city and state where it is located and your expected graduation year. For example: 

Education

High School Name, City, State

Dates of Attendance: Month Year – Month Year (expected) 

GPA: X.XX (optional) 

Remember to keep this section concise and prioritize other relevant experiences and accomplishments, such as extracurricular activities, volunteer work or work experience, if applicable.

There are several examples of work experience that high school students can include on their resumes:

• Babysitting or pet-sitting: If you have experience taking care of children or pets, you can list it as work experience. This demonstrates responsibility, reliability and trustworthiness.
• Retail or hospitality: Many high school students work part-time jobs in retail stores or restaurants. This type of work experience shows that you are customer-oriented, a team player and can handle cash transactions.
• Tutoring or coaching: If you have experience tutoring or coaching younger students in subjects you excel at, you can include it on your resume. This demonstrates leadership, communication and teaching skills.
• Internships or volunteer work: If you have participated in any internships or volunteer work, include them on your resume. This shows that you are proactive, passionate and committed to making a positive impact.
• Yard work or odd jobs: If you have done any odd jobs for neighbors or family friends, such as mowing lawns or shoveling snow, you can include them on your resume. This demonstrates a strong work ethic and willingness to take on different tasks.

Remember to include details such as the name of the employer, job title or duties and dates of employment. See how to write a high school graduate resume for additional tips from career experts.