Grade 12

Is mostly spent torturing all the members of the lower grades, taking endless barrages of tests and applying to colleges and universities.

The best time in some people's lives, mostly for the first reason.

Culminates in grad and grad night, a celebration of deflowering, alcohol poisoning and car accidents.

Also the senior year of high school in the United States (which I'm in now) highlighted by Senioritis and college applications, as well as the aforementioned Canadian aspects.

Also the senior year in Australia, where at the end of the year a student will normally be 17 or 18 years old, depending on which state they are in. Also known as Year 12. Characterised by the usual Canadian and American aspects, as well as the end-of-year "Muck-up day" where graduating students destroy the school, the school ball which is the culmination of all social interaction at school, and the Schoolies or Leavers phenomenon, going to tourist destinations to drink heavily and often have large amounts of sex with complete randoms.

The first year of the sixth form in English, Scottish and Welsh schooling. This is the stage of school where students are no longer legally required to be there.

Year 12 used to be considered a doss year where you could lie around playing pool and table football for a year. It was the first year of A levels, and the exams weren't until year 13. This system changed in 2001 - AS levels were introduced, and year 12 is now considered to be the hardest year of school.