How Old Are Sophomores?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

A sophomore in high school is typically 15 or 16 years old, while a college sophomore is 19 to 20 years old. A sophomore is a student in the second year of high school or college in the United States. A high school sophomore is in the 10th grade. The word “sophomore” may be a derivation from two Greek words meaning “wise” and “foolish.”

Sophomore year in college is sometimes a stressful time as many students are required to choose their majors by the end of their sophomore year. Some colleges establish programs to help sophomores make these decisions and follow them through the rest of their college years.

In high school, sophomore year is when the earliest stages of planning for college begin, which puts pressure on students to do well and get a good grade point average. High school sophomores typically take a math class that can range from algebra to precalculus, a world literature class, a lab science class and a world history class. Advanced Placement classes are sometimes available to sophomores who are more academically advanced.

The concept of a “sophomore” is also used in Japan, the Philippines and English-language schools in Saudi Arabia. Most of the rest of the world does not use this terminology.