Oktaha, Oklahoma

Oktaha is a town in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 390 at the 2010 census, a 19.3 percent increase from 327 at the 2000 census.

History

Oktaha was named for a Muscogee chief, Oktarharsars Harjo (also known as Sands). The town originated in 1872 as a stop on the MK&T "Katy" Railroad. By 1900, the town had its own post office. A small business district emerged as well. Local business lagged, however, by mid-century, and the town struggled even more when U.S. Highway 69 was rerouted to bypass Oktaha. Nevertheless, Oktaha remains the site of a K-12 school that draws several hundred students from rural portions of Muskogee County. There are currently plans to build a combined community center-museum in Oktaha.

Geography

Oktaha is located at 35°34′40″N 95°28′36″W / 35.57778°N 95.47667°W / 35.57778; -95.47667 (35.577772, -95.476762). It is 14 miles (23 km) south-southwest of Muskogee.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²), all of it land.

High school

A high school (also secondary school, senior school, secondary college) is a school that provides adolescents with part or all of their secondary education. It may come after primary school or middle school and be followed by higher education or vocational training.

Terminology

The term "high school" originated in Scotland, with the world's oldest high school being Edinburgh's Royal High School from 1505. The Royal High School was used as a model for the first public high school in the United States, Boston Latin School founded in Boston, Massachusetts.

The precise stage of schooling provided by a high school differs from country to country, and may vary within the same jurisdiction. In all of New Zealand and Malaysia, along with most of Britain and parts of Australia, Bangladesh and Canada, high school means the same thing as secondary school, but instead of starting in 9th grade, these "secondary schools" begin at ages 11 or 12.

Country by country

Australia

In Australia, high school is a secondary school, from Year 7 or Year 8 through to Year 12, varying from state to state. High school immediately follows primary (elementary) school; therefore, a Year-7 Australian high-school student is sometimes as young as 12. In Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, the term "high school" generally refers to Years 7–10, whereas the term "College" is used for Years 11–12. In Victoria the term "secondary college" has largely replaced the term "high school" following the reforms of the Labor Government in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some schools have retained the name "high school" (such as Melbourne High School) and many have now dropped the "secondary" and are simply known as "college".