Generally speaking, just about everything that applies to elementary school furniture applies to junior high and high school as well. There are, however, a few exceptions and additions when purchasing classroom furniture for this age group.
The first exception is that, at this point, height is no longer an issue. All students in this age range will need 18"-19" inch school chairs.
Secondly, 7th-12th graders are expected to be much more responsible for their schoolbooks and notebooks. They also move around from classroom to classroom more frequently than their younger friends, and have more supplies for each class. To help keep them organized, consider buying chairs with an attached bookshelf or book basket underneath the seat to store books and supplies that are not in use (or to clear everything away easily in the event of a pop quiz). For this age group, hard plastic chairs are recommended, as students do have something of a tendency to write (and occasionally engrave) messages on their chairs. Desktops should also be hard plastic for the same reason. If budget constraints don't allow for that, make sure that the school desks you purchase have very high quality laminate or WoodStone tops.
Unlike the elementary grades, where school tables can be used even through 6th grade, from 7th grade and on the vast majority of schools provide individual desks for their students. These come in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending largely on whether the school is geared for independent learning, cooperative learning or a combination of both. Double desks make it easy for students to organize into partners without having to move around. Trapezoidal desks allow students to sit individually; however, they can be conveniently joined together to form semi-circles, hexagons or octagons to allow students to work together. Individual school desks, used in most classrooms, promote independent learning. Some have an enlarged surface to fit large textbooks, laptops, and to give some more working space for those times when the students are asked to work in pairs.
If you are privileged enough to cater to wheelchair-bound students, make sure to take them into consideration when purchasing school desks. There are a number of wheelchair-accessible desks available in a variety of styles, many of which are appropriate for the non-wheelchair bound as well.
So you see that when you are choosing classroom furniture, you have many options. If you have any further questions or you'd like assistance in finding school furniture for the junior high or high school classroom, feel free to contact a Hertz Furniture expert at 888-793-4999 or by chat between 9am-5pm Eastern Standard time.