Established by the NASSP, the National Honor Society was the first nationwide organization founded to recognize outstanding high school students in the United States.

     Since its creation in 1921, the organization, with the help of Dr. Edward Rynearson, has grown from a simple chapter in Pennsylvania to an enormous network encompassing the fifty states, U.S. territories, and Canada. In 1929, the NASSP also founded the National Junior Honor Society (NHJS) to acknowledge outstanding middle school students.

     According to the NHS Constitution, the National Honor Society’s primary purpose is to: "to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students of secondary schools." Across the country, students are selected for membership based onthe areas of Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.

     Currently, there are over 15,000 chapters of the National Honor Society throughout the nation. Each year, more than one million students participate in NHS and NJHS related activities. The NHS is sponsored by the NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals), which is located in Reston, Virginia.

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