High school fraternities and sororities

American secondary student organizations From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

High school fraternities and sororities, also called secondary fraternities and sororities, were inspired by and modeled after Greek-letter organizations which became prevalent in North American colleges and universities during the nineteenth century.[1] Omega Eta Tau, formed in 1859 as Torch and Dagger in Council Bluffs, Iowa, is the first known high school fraternity.[2] It was followed by Gamma Sigma, Alpha Zeta, Alpha Phi, Sigma Psi, Alpha Chi Sigma, Pi Phi, Gamma Delta Psi, Eta Kappa, and more.[2]

The establishment of other fraternities was fairly slow, gaining momentum between 1890 and 1900 as older organizations added chapters and new Greek letter organizations were established.[3] Most high school fraternities were located at schools in and near New York City and Chicago, with San Francisco being a third location.[3] San Francisco's Girls' High School had seven sororities by 1905.[3]

Although hundreds of local high school fraternities and sororities with only one or two chapters were founded in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many secondary fraternities founded during that time grew into legitimately national organizations with ten or more chapters in multiple states and with highly evolved national governing structures.

During the early 20th century, many fraternities that formed in the Eastern United States established chapters on the Pacific Coast.[3] In this era, President William Rainey Harper of the University of Chicago contacted the 464 largest secondary schools in the United States; 120 of the 306 reporting schools had one to six fraternities and many also had a sorority.[3] With this growth came a growing pushback against such “secret societies" in high schools, with critics labeling the groups as exclusionary and divisive, and their practices criticized as “obnoxious”.[3]

Some state and local governments banned fraternities and sororities in public schools. The states of Indiana, Kansas, and Minnesota, and the city of Madison, Wisconsin, adopted regulations in 1907.[3] Ohio passed an anti-fraternity law in 1908, as did the school board in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Worcester, Massachusetts.[3] California, Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington passed laws against secret societies in 1909.[3] In 1909, school boards in Kansas City, Missouri; Lowell, Massachusetts; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma all approved prohibitory regulations, followed by Chicago; Denver; New Orleans; Butte, Montana; Meriden, Connecticut; and Racine, Wisconsin in 1910.[3] Michigan passed an anti-fraternity law in 1911, followed by Mississippi in 1912.[3] More school boards, including those in Covington, Kentucky; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Reading, Pennsylvania; Superior, Wisconsin; and Waltham, Massachusetts, passed regulations in 1911.[3] As a result of these regulations, many Greek letter organizations ceased to exist and were replaced by local clubs; at some schools, fraternities went underground or changed to community-based organizations.[3][4][5] This favored the survival of smaller or local organizations over the larger national fraternities that continued to operate in the open.[3]

In response to the anti-fraternity sentiment and policies, the Grand Inter-Fraternity Council was formed in February 1909.[3] Its purpose was "to promote the usefulness of preparatory and high school fraternities; to place before the public the objects of these organizations and create a body by which all grievances between fraternities, school and civil officials can be fairly terminated."[3] Its founding members were organizations that were at least ten years old and had more than five chapters.[3] In 1910, the council included 25 fraternities that represented 31,455 members.[3] By 1912, 46 fraternities had joined the council.[3] Its counterpart for sororities was the Junior Pan-Hellenic Congress.[6]

In December 1927, Gamma Sigma was the first high school fraternity to established a chapter outside of the United States and the first international high school fraternity, establishing its Alpha Zeta chapter in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.[2] Theta Kappa Sigma sorority was established at Stamford Collegiate Institute in Niagara Falls, Ontario in 1932. By 1969, there were forty high school fraternities and sororities in the United States and Canada.[2]

The following is an incomplete list of secondary and high school fraternities and sororities.

Social fraternities

In the following of high school social fraternities, active groups are indicated in bold and inactive groups are in italics.

More information Organization, Symbols ...
Organization Symbols Founding date and range Founding institution Founding location Status Ref.
Alpha Chi Sigma ΑΧΣ 1876 Peekskill Military Academy Peeksill, New York Inactive [2][7]
Alpha Delta Sigma ΑΔΣ January 19, 1891 Bridgeport, Connecticut Inactive [8][9][10][11][12]
Alpha Iota Epsilon ΑΙΕ 1890 Erasmus Hall High School Brooklyn, New York Inactive [13][14]
Alpha Omega ΑΩ 1897 Detroit, Michigan Inactive [15]
Alpha Phi ΑΦ 1876 Colgate Academy Hamilton, New York Inactive [2][16][17][a]
Alpha Tau Omicron ΑΤΟ 1885 c. 1885 Ann Arbor High School Ann Arbor, Michigan Inactive [18][19]
Alpha Zeta ΑΖ December 8, 1869 Union Classical Institute Schenectady, New York Active [2][20][3][16][17][21][22][b]
ATOPHI (Alpha Tau Omega Phi) ΑΤΩΦ November 2, 1988 West Philadelphia High School Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Active [23]
Beta Phi Sigma ΒΦΣ September 8, 1899 Muncie High School Muncie, Indiana Inactive [24][25][26][27]
Beta Pi ΒΠ 1907 Polytechnic Preparatory Institute Brooklyn, New York Inactive
Beta Zeta Phi ΒΖΦ December 1897 Lake View High School Chicago, Illinois Inactive
Chi Sigma Chi ΧΣΧ January 26, 1890 New York Military Academy Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York Inactive [28][29][30][31][c]
Delta Gamma Phi ΔΓΦ xxxx ?–1984 Hamden High School Hamden, Massachusetts Inactive [32][d]
Delta Gamma Psi ΔΓΨ before 1896 Michigan ? Inactive [33]
Delta Omicron Omicron ΔΟΟ November 8, 1897 Kansas City, Missouri Inactive
Delta Sigma ΔΣ 1897–198x ? Lewis Institute Chicago, Illinois Inactive [34][35][e][f]
Delta Sigma Nu ΔΣΝ May 13, 1893 Ann Arbor High School Ann Arbor, Michigan Inacitve [36][18][g]
Delta Sigma Upsilon ΔΣΥ 1900 Chicago, Illinois Inactive [37][38][39]
Delta Theta ΔΘ 1896 Polytechnic Preparatory Institute Brooklyn, New York Inactive [40][h]
Eta Beta Pi ΗΒΠ October 26, 1908 – November 1912 Wichita High School Wichita, Kansas Merged [41][i]
Eta Kappa ΗΚ Inactive [2]
Eta Kappa Phi ΗΚΦ before 1898 Inactive [16][j]
Gamma Alpha ΓΑ 1914 Baton Rouge High School Baton Rouge, Louisiana Inactive [42][43]
Gamma Beta Phi ΓΒΦ Williston Seminary Easthampton, Massachusetts Inactive [16]
Gamma Delta Psi ΓΔΨ April 13, 1879 – c. 1995; 2008 James Hillhouse High School New Haven, Connecticut Inactive [11][44][2][45][k]
Gamma Eta Chi ΓΗΧ before May 1886 Inactive [46][47][l]
Gamma Eta Kappa ΓΗΚ March 10, 1882 Boy's High School San Francisco, California Inactive [16][17][3][m]
Gamma Sigma ΓΣ October 11, 1869 Brockport State Normal School Brockport, New York Active [2][16][n]
Kappa Alpha Phi ΚΑΦ 1898 Muncie High School Muncie, Indiana Inactive [26][48]
Kappa Alpha Pi ΚΑΠ 1898–196x ? Englewood High School Chicago, Illinois Inactive [49][50][51]
Kappa Phi ΚΦ October 10, 1901 Saginaw, Michigan Inactive
Lambda Sigma ΛΣ October 12, 1892 Detroit High School Detroit, Michigan Inactive [16][52][53]
Detroit School for Boys
Mu Delta Sigma ΜΔΣ November 1884 Grand Rapids High School Grand Rapids, Michigan Inactive [54][55]
Omega Delta ΩΔ 1950 c. 1950–196x ? La Salle Senior High School Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [56]
Omega Eta Tau ΩΗΤ 1859–1861, 1866–1880, 1893 Council Bluffs High School Council Bluffs, Iowa Active [2][57][58][o]
Omega Gamma Delta ΩΓΔ 1902 Brooklyn, New York Active [59][p]
Omega Nu ΩΝ California Inactive [3]
Omicron Kappa Pi ΟΚΠ November 1893 Chicago Academy Chicago, Illinois Inactive [16][17][q]
Phi Alpha Sigma ΦΑΣ Inactive [60]
Phi Chi ΦΧ November 25, 1902 Polytechnic High School San Francisco, California Inactive [3]
Phi Delta ΦΔ 1891–1921 Illinois Inactive [61][62][r]
Phi Delta Sigma ΦΔΣ April 14, 1900 Utica, New York Inactive
Phi Kappa ΦΚ 1918 Troy, Alabama Active [63]
Phi Kappa Epsilon ΦΚΕ January 1909 – May 1910 Alameda, California Merged [64][65][51][s]
Phi Lambda Epsilon ΦΛΕ February 12, 1892 Clinton Academy Clinton, Missouri Inactive [66][t]
Phi Sigma ΦΣ March 22, 1895 Grand Rapids High School Grand Rapids, Michigan Inactive
Phi Sigma Chi ΦΣΧ November 28, 1900 Zanesville High School Zanesville, Ohio Inactive [67][68]
Pi Delta Koppa ΠΔϘ 1876 Michigan Military Academy Orchard Lake Village, Michigan Inactive [69][41]
Pi Phi ΠΦ 1878–198x ? Rochester Free Academy Rochester, New York Inactive [2][16][u]
Sigma Delta Phi ΣΔΦ December 5, 1902 Polytechnic Preparatory Institute Brooklyn, New York Inactive
Sigma Delta Psi ΣΔΨ 1902 Polytechnic Preparatory Institute Brooklyn, New York Inactive
Sigma Kappa Delta ΣΚΔ 1906 Hudson, New York Inactive [70][71]
Sigma Lambda Nu ΣΛΝ 1882 Brooklyn Central High School Brooklyn, New York Inactive
Sigma Phi Alpha ΣΦΑ before 1907 Erasmus Hall High School Brooklyn, New York Inactive [72]
Sigma Phi Omega ΣΦΩ 1901 Sewanee Grammar School Sewanee, Tennessee Inactive [73][74][v]
Sigma Phi Upsilon ΣΦΥ October 1899 Brooklyn, New York Inactive
Sigma Psi ΣΨ 1878 St. Paul's School Garden City, New York Inactive
Sigma Psi ΣΨ 1950 c. 1950–196x ? La Salle Senior High School Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [2][56]
Sigma Sigma ΣΣ before 1895 – March 1895 High School Ann Arbor, Michigan ? Inactive [18][75][36][g]
Sigma Upsilon ΣΥ November 25, 1905 Portland High School Portland, Maine Inactive
Tau Delta Tau ΤΔΤ 1917 Sewanee Military Academy Sewanee, Tennessee Inactive [76]
Tau Kappa Delta ΤΚΔ 1925 Pottsville High School Pottsville, Pennsylvania Active [77][78]
Theta Chi ΘΧ January 16, 1893 Oakland High School Oakland, California Inactive [3][79]
Theta Kappa Omega ΘΚΩ November 13, 1872 – 196x ? California Military Academy Mayfield, California Inactive [80]
Theta Phi ΘΦ 1885 Utica Free Academy Utica, New York Inactive [81][82][83][84]
Triangle Fraternity Downey High School Downey, California Inactive [85]
Upsilon Lambda Phi ΥΛΦ 1901 Burlington High School Burlington, Vermont Inactive [86][87]
Upsilon Lambda Phi ΥΛΦ Newark High School Newark, New Jersey Inactive [88][89]
Upsilon Zeta Pi ΥΖΠ Inactive [90]
Xi Beta Gamma ΞΒΓ Inactive [90]
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Social sororities and girl's fraternities

In the following of high school social sororities and girl's fraternities, active groups are indicated in bold and inactive groups are in italics.

More information Organization, Symbols ...
Organization Symbols Founding date and range Founding institution Founding location Status Ref.
Alpha Alpha ΑΑ Bridgeport High School Bridgeport, Connecticut Inactive
Alpha Sigma ΑΣ March 15, 1894 Oakland, California Inactive [3][91][92]
Beta Delta ΒΔ 1926 Shreveport, Louisiana Active
Delta Beta Sigma ΔΒΣ October 1, 1903 Columbia Female Institute Columbia, Tennessee Active [93]
Delta Chi ΔΧ 1950 c. 1950–196x ? La Salle Senior High School Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [56]
Delta Gamma ΔΓ 1890 Utica, New York Inactive
Delta Iota Chi ΔΙΧ February 28, 1894 San José High School San Jose, California Inactive [3][91][94][95]
Delta Kappa Phi ΔΚΦ xxxx ?–c. 1913 Evanston Township High School Evanston, Illinois Inactive [96]
Eta Kappa Phi ΗΚΦ 1906 Rock Island High School Rock Island, Illinois Inactive [97]
Eta Phi ΗΦ Albany Normal School Albany, New York Inactive [16]
Gamma Theta ΓΘ 1931 Baton Rouge High School Baton Rouge, Louisiana Active [98][99]
Iota Beta Phi ΙΒΦ Inactive [100]
Kappa Phi ΚΦ Connecticut or Massachusetts Inactive [12]
Lambda Theta Phi ΛΘΦ 1894 Oakland High School Oakland, California Inactive [3][101][102]
Omega Nu ΩΝ February 26, 1897 San José High School San Jose, California Active [3][103]
Phi Alpha Phi ΦΑΦ 1894 New Haven, Connecticut Inactive [11]
Phi Phi Phi ΦΦΦ Inactive [90]
Psi Gamma Psi ΨΓΨ Inactive [90]
Psi Iota Xi ΨΙΞ September 19, 1897 Muncie High School Muncie, Indiana Inactive [27][104]
Tau Alpha Psi ΤΑΨ 1893 West Division High School Chicago, Illinois Inactive [105]
Theta Chi Omicron ΘΧΟ 1950 c. 1950–196x ? La Salle Senior High School Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [56]
Theta Kappa Sigma ΘΚΣ 1931 Stamford Collegiate Institute Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada Active [106]
Theta Sigma ΘΣ June 1, 1887 Albany, New York Inactive
Theta Zeta Gamma ΘΖΓ 1894 Oakland High School Oakland, California Inactive [102]
Xi Gamma Rho ΞΓΡ 1950 c. 1950–196x ? La Salle Senior High School Niagara Falls, New York Inactive [56]
Zeta Beta Psi ΖΒΨ xxxx ?–c. 1913 Evanston Township High School Evanston, Illinois Inactive [96]
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Jewish fraternities

In the following of high school Jewish fraternities, active groups are indicated in bold and inactive groups are in italics.

More information Organization, Symbols ...
Organization Symbols Founding date and range Founding institution Founding location Status Ref.
Aleph Zadik Aleph אצא 1924 Omaha, Nebraska Active
Hai Resh July 7, 1907– 1937 St. Joseph, Missouri Merged [107][108][109][w]
Phi Beta ΦΒ 1920 Inactive [110][x]
Phi Sigma Beta ΦΣΒ June 22, 1910 – 1914 DeWitt Clinton High School New York City, New York Inactive [111][y]
Pi Tau Pi [109]
Pi Upsilon Phi ΠΥΦ Inactive [112][z]
Sigma Alpha Rho ΣΑΡ November 18, 1917 – c. 2014; December 2022 West Philadelphia High School West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Active [113][114][aa]
Upsilon Lambda Phi ΥΛΦ April 5, 1916 Inactive [115][ab]
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Jewish sororities

In the following of high school Jewish sororities, active groups are indicated in bold and inactive groups are in italics.

More information Organization, Symbols ...
Organization Symbols Founding date and range Founding institution Founding location Status Ref.
B'nai B'rith Girls בבג 1944 San Francisco, California Active
Iota Gamma Phi ΙΓΦ Inactive [116][117][118]
Iota Phi ΙΦ Inactive [119]
Sigma Theta Pi ΣΘΠ 1909 c. 1909 Inactive [120][107][121][122][ac]
Sigma Omega Pi ΣΩΠ c. 1950–1970s Norfolk, Virginia Inactive [123]
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High school honor societies

Main article: Honor society § Secondary school honor societies

High school secret societies

Main article: High school secret societies

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    Was formed as a local literary society in 1870.
  2. [b]
    The fraternity was originally organized Alpha Beta Debating Club, a literary and debating society at Union Classical Institute, later known as Schenectady High School. It did not add a second chapter until seventeen years later.
  3. [c]
    At its peak, the fraternity included over thirty chapters. Its chapters were based at military academies across the U.S.
  4. [d]
    The fraternity went inactive after a hazing incident led to assault charges.
  5. [e]
    Originally begun as an athletic fraternity, its focus became purely social as it expanded throughout the United States. By the 1980s, most chapters of the fraternity had become inactive.
  6. [f]
    The Lewis Institute was formed as a high school and became a college in 1922.
  7. [g]
    The School Board passed policies prohibiting fraternities in March 1895.
  8. [h]
    The fraternity chartered chapters at high schools and technical colleges throughout the mid-Atlantic states, the upper Midwest, and as far away as California.
  9. [i]
    Merged into Pi Delta Koppa.
  10. [j]
    In 1898, it had chapters in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  11. [k]
    The fraternity was defunct by 1995. It was revived in 2008.
  12. [l]
    Gamma Eta Chi, or Good English Club, chartered chapters at high schools and junior colleges.
  13. [m]
    Formed as a literary society at Boys High School, now the Lowell High School.
  14. [n]
    This is reported to be the first international high school fraternity, with the chartering of the Alpha Zeta chapter in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on December 11, 1927.
  15. [o]
    Formed as Torch and Dagger. It was renamed Omega Eta Tau in 1900 when it began expanding nationally.
  16. [p]
    In the 2010s, it was recast as "a fraternity for men" with a focus on citywide alumni and graduate clubs.
  17. [q]
    Formed at the Chicago Academy, later known as the Lewis Institute.
  18. [r]
    The fraternity voted to discontinue its connection with high schools in 1921, the first high school fraternity in the US to do so. It continued to operate as an alumni association with more than 4,000 members.
  19. [s]
    This two-chapter fraternity based in Alameda and Oakland, California, merged with the Kappa Alpha Pi national fraternity in 1920.
  20. [t]
    Expanded to normal schools and is still active as a collegiate educational fraternity.
  21. [u]
    Pi Phi spread to more than 110 chapters before lapsing into solely alumni chapters in the 1980s.
  22. [v]
    At least thirty chapters of the fraternity were founded in other states throughout the Southern United States.
  23. [w]
    The fraternity declined when most of its leadership entered World War I. It continued but merged with Pi Tau Pi by 1937.
  24. [x]
    Not to be confused with the professional fraternity for the creative and performing arts.
  25. [y]
    The fraternity was re-established as Tau Delta Phi collegiate organization in 1914.
  26. [z]
    Its Sigma chapter was at Syracuse.
  27. [aa]
    The fraternity formed from the Soathical Club. In December 2022, the fraternity was reactivated with a new chapter in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
  28. [ab]
    Voted to become nonsectarian in 1966.
  29. [ac]
    Not to be confused with the international sorority with a similar name, Sigma Thêta Pi, founded in 2003, nor the local Christian fraternity at Howard Payne University, founded in 2004.

References

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