Shenzhen Middle School () is a secondary school in Luohu, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Founded in 1947, it was made the only provincial key high school (magnet school) in Shenzhen in 1983. In November 1993, it became one of the first Class-One Schools of Guangdong Province. In 1998, Shenzhen Middle School merged with Honghu Middle School, and the latter's campus is now Shenzhen Middle School's junior school. In total, its junior and senior campuses cover an area of . The student-teacher ratio is about 10:1. Zhu Huawei (朱华伟, Zhū Huáwěi) is the current principal.
Shenzhen Middle School has been continuously ranked as the best school in Shenzhen and among the top schools in Guangdong Province. Over the last two years, Shenzhen Middle School has been ranked #1 in the percentage and number of high-scoring students in Guangdong Province, with the largest number of graduates admitted by top Chinese universities every year. In a 2016 ranking of Chinese high schools that send students to study in US universities, Shenzhen Middle School ranked number 8 in mainland China in terms of the number of students entering top American universities.People's Daily "http://gz.people.com.cn/n2/2016/0224/c358162-27802234.html" Feb 24, 2016.CollegeNode Ranking ""
Shenzhen Middle School consists of primary, junior and senior schools, located on separate campuses. The senior campus is divided into East Campus, where 10th and 11th graders are located, and West Campus, where 12th graders under intensive preparations for the National Higher Education Entrance Examination are located.
In the three campuses, only the senior campus offers student dorms, which allows Shenzhen Middle School students to choose whether they want to be commuters or residents on campus. The residential facilities available include two residential halls, two dining halls, and two grocery stores. Both junior and senior campuses have a soccer field and a track field. There are five basketball courts, including one indoor, badminton courts and table tennis tables, a taekwondo room and a dancing room.
History
In 1947, the Zhang family in Shuibei, Xiangxi, along with the Hubei Villages in Baoan County, Guangdong Province, raised the funds to establish a junior high school. Four people were elected by every village to form a board of directors which filed the application to the Baoan County government. In July 1948, Guangdong Province Department of Education granted the registration of the school. In September 1948, Shenzhen Junior High School was officially founded, located on 10 Yangsheng St Alley 4 near the old county hall. In November 1949, after the establishment of The People's Republic of China, Baoan County People's Government took over Shenzhen Junior High School, and changed its name to the Baoan County Second Junior High School. At that time, the school's facility contained a two-story building, an auditorium downstairs, and a patio. In September 1955, Baoan County Second Junior High School changed its name to Baoan Middle School and became a key middle school in Baoan county. In the same year, it started its high school division. In June 1983, after the authorization of Guangdong Provincial government, Shenzhen Middle School became the Provincial Key High School of Guangdong Province. Honghu Middle School was then merged in Shenzhen Middle School on June 22, 1998.
In 2002, Wang Zheng, the Vice President of the Affiliated High School of Peking University and the President of its division in Nanshan, Shenzhen was assigned the presidency of Shenzhen Middle School. The same year, Shenzhen Middle School started its exploration of educational and curricular reform. Starting from September 2003, Shenzhen Middle School attempted to separate instructive classes and form classes, and canceled its form class system and form instructor system, replacing them with a tutorial system. Students' rights and autonomy were also greatly enhanced. The Student Union was defined as a student self-governance organization. At its peak, more than a third of the student body were members of the Student Union.
The reforms instituted by Wang Zheng caused widespread controversies. Some teachers criticized that his reform irresponsibly allowed for too much space for the students; some parents thought that the reform measures negatively influenced students' performance in the National Higher Education Entrance Examination. On the other hand, some of the graduates thought that the educational model after the reform made them realize their rights and responsibilities as citizens, and was their enlightenment of civic awareness as a member of the civil society. The educational industry and society have also seen Wang's reform as an experiment with civic education.
In April 2010, Wang returned to the Affiliated High School of Peking University to serve as its President. The same year, Wang Zhanbao took over as the new president of Shenzhen Middle School. After assuming his post, he instituted a series of reforms under the slogan "Strive for Academic Excellence. Cultivate a Creative Student Body." He restored the form instructor and form class systems and reduced the number of courses requiring students to go to different classrooms. Initially, his reforms were criticized as "the revival of examination-only education". Meanwhile, Shenzhen Middle School's national key universities admissions rate in Gaokao increased.
On February 19, 2016, because of health concerns, Wang Zhanbao resigned from the post of President. The President of Shenzhen Second Experimental School, Zhao Li, took the post of the presidency.
On January 17, 2017, because Zhao Li was appointed the Vice-Director of Shenzhen Department of Education in November 2016, Zhu Huawei, former Dean of Guangzhou Education Research Institute, became Shenzhen Middle School's President.
On October 21, 2017, a fire occurred on the second floor of the West Campus Dining Hall. Student-run media Nirvana News reported on the news of the fire. It's said that after the event, some administrators pressured the parents of the editors of the Nirvana News, demanding the deletion of the report. The event led to widespread attention and discussion among Shenzhen Middle School's students and alumni.
Curriculum Shenzhen Middle School offers four curricula to high school students and one curriculum to middle school students. High school students submit their curriculum preferences before the start of their freshman year. All curricula require entrance exams except the Standard Curriculum. For the school year of 2011-2012, the Experimental Curriculum and the Honor Curriculum required a written entrance exam, and the International Curriculum required both a written entrance exam and an interview. Students who do not submit any preference or students who indicate their preferences to these three curricula but fail to pass their written exams and/or interviews are automatically admitted by the Standard Curriculum.
Standard Curriculum The Standard Curriculum () prepares high school students specifically for the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, a prerequisite for entrance into underground-level education institutions in the form of academic examinations. The Standard Curriculum comprises about 40% of students in Shenzhen Middle School.
Experimental Curriculum The Experimental Curriculum (), with two concentrations, provides students with specialized courses that are normally not available to high school students in China. The Experimental Curriculum comprises about 30% of students in SMS.
"Gaokao" Concentration The "Gaokao" Concentration of the Experimental Curriculum () is a program designed for students who are interested in both participating in the National Higher Education Entrance Examination (the Gaokao), and exploring different courses and pedagogical options offered by SMS's Experimental Curriculum.
International Concentration (Previously the International Curriculum) The International Concentration of the Experimental Curriculum (), or the Advanced Placement Program (APP), is a program for students who plan to study abroad, usually in the United States. Students in this concentration comprise about 18% percent of students in Shenzhen Middle School. Previously called the International Curriculum (commonly referred to as IC), this concentration was renamed and placed under the administration of the Experimental Curriculum in the 2016-2017 school year.
This curriculum is distinguished by offering a liberal arts and science curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking and creativity. Such courses are usually taught in English by Western instructors and are taught at collegiate-level rigor. In the 2013-2014 school year, over 30 college-level courses are offered in addition to college prep courses, including courses in the English language arts, the humanities and social sciences, art, and drama along with math and hard sciences. By taking these courses, students have an extremely high practical level of English in thinking, expression and social interaction. The IC also has a certified college counselor on staff to ensure compliance with US policies and procedures for college application and admission.
In addition, starting from the 2020-2021 school year, the International Concentration began offering the A-Level Program, designed to better prepare students for admission into top UK universities. This program is a response to the increasing demand of students who are more willing to pursue higher education in the UK because of its shorter course (3 years in England instead of 4 years in the US), more affordable tuition, and deterred by the unstable Sino-US relationship under Trump administration. Previously, students could, and still can, apply to UK universities using US standardized test scores, such as SAT, ACT, TOEFL, AP, etc., but due to the differences between the US and UK education system, the results have not been excellent. The effectiveness of the A-Level Program remains to be seen, as it has yet to graduate it first class of students, which is due in 2023.
There has been a misconception that students in IC are required to pay a higher tuition fee than other students in Shenzhen Middle School. Admittedly, IC students occasionally need to buy foreign textbooks, which are more expensive in most cases. Nevertheless, the tuition they pay is the same as that paid by any other students in Shenzhen Middle School and in any public high school in Shenzhen.
Honor Curriculum The Honor Curriculum () is distinguished by students participation in Olympiad academic contests on subjects including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and informatics. The Honor Curriculum comprises about 20% of students in SMS.
Since the Honor Curriculum was established, students have won many provincial, national and international academic awards and honors. Each year, some outstanding Honor Curriculum students are directly admitted by universities in China without taking the National Higher Education Entrance Examination. Some other excellent students may be qualified to receive "score plus" in the National Higher Education Entrance Examination and are therefore able to be admitted into any universities with scores lower than that normally required.
The school year of 2011-12 saw a major change in the Honor Curriculum. A new class was established to host students who demonstrate an excellent command of languages, humanities, or social sciences. Newly enrolled students take an entrance exam to be admitted into this class.
Integral Curriculum The Integral Curriculum (), also called 3+2, is an unofficial course curriculum distinguished by including both junior and senior high school students. The students who enroll in this curriculum in 7th grade are ensured to enter the high school of Shenzhen Middle School.