Good Debate Topics for High School: At times it can be a challenge to find a good debate topic for high school students especially if you don’t where to start or which topics to engage high school students.
There are a number of factors you need to consider before settling on a certain debate motion. For instance, is the debate topic interesting, will it engage the students, is the topic easy or challenging.
If you are searching for Good Debate Topics for High School students, then you came to the right place.
These Debate Motions for high School students will keep them engaged and help build critical thinking skills in them.
Contents
Good Debate Topics for High School
Censorship is necessary for the media.
Should schools be held four days a week?
Is homeschooling better than traditional schooling?
Should partial-birth abortion be illegal?
Should there be mandatory jail time for people who abuse animals?
Should the cruel treatment of animals be illegal?
Should the death penalty be abolished?
Should children be allowed to have phones in school?
Should students be allowed to evaluate teachers?
Social media is a cause of increasing depression among the youth.
Do celebrities have the leverage to get away with crimes, more than any noncelebrity?
Should marijuana use be considered a crime?
Banning zoos: yes or no?
Should schools block YouTube?
How are humans destroying the habitat of animals?
What are the effects of violent cartoons on children’s mental development?
Should high-stakes state testing be abolished?
Should smoking be allowed in public places?
Should people have to pass a background check before being able to get a gun?
Should there be more national parks in the United States?
Public colleges should be tuition-free.
Does detention do much good in high schools?
Students should be encouraged to work part-time.
Should schools provide daycare services for students who have children?
Should ecocide be a crime?
Should fish farming be banned?
Are single-sex schools better for student learning and mental health?
Should a border fence be constructed between the U.S. and Mexico?
The drinking age should be 18.
Are progressive tax rates just?
Should high schoolers be required to become fluent in a foreign language?
Should renewable forms of energy be subsidized by the government?
No homework should be given to students.
Is education the most powerful weapon to fight evil?
Is pet ownership ethical?
Should students be able to leave school grounds for lunch?
Is climate change human-caused?
Should high school students be required to do community service hours as a graduation requirement?
Should the school day be limited to six hours in high school?
Should schools continue funding libraries filled with paper books?
Is human-animal chimera research ethical?
Should community college and/or trade school be free for everyone?
Should celebrities be required to be positive role models?
Should teacher pay increases be linked to how well their students perform on standardized tests?
Should pupils be allowed to decide subjects they want to learn in school?
Gay relationships are against nature.
The theory of evolution should not be taught in school.
Is democracy the best form of government?
How do technological advances influence us?
Parents should not hit children in front of others.
Should school canteens take meat and dairy off the menu?
Should the legal voting/driving/drinking age be lowered or raised?
Would it be better for students to take fewer classes at a time in mini-sessions rather than semester-long courses?
Should education qualifications be made necessary for politicians?
Does lack of technology in the classroom hold students back?
Is artificial intelligence dangerous?
Should there be restrictions on religious symbols in school?
Should there be a limit on the number of after-school activities a student can participate in?
Should 9th graders be allowed to get a driver’s license?
Should the government pay residents to not cut down the trees?
Should all students be required to perform community service?
Debate Topics for High School
Should physical education be required all for years of high school?
Birth control should be for sale over the counter.
Should college education be compulsory?
Should religious education that promotes a certain faith be abolished in schools?
Does Technology intensify human communication?
Nuclear powers are the major cause of wars.
Should Antarctica be open to tourism?
Should human cloning be banned?
Being too religious can be dangerous.
How does tourism affect the environment?
Learning a foreign language before graduation should not be required.
School students should not be punished with detentions.
Should the U.S. government fund a space mission to Mars?
The sale of human organs should be legalized.
Will robots increase people’s quality of life?
Corporal punishments should be allowed in school.
Is the grading system used in school effective?
Is it ethical to clone animals?
Should all students be required to co-op?
Euthanasia should be banned.
Should first aid be taught in school?
Is the right to bear arms a necessary constitutional amendment today?
Does the contemporary grading system work?
Schools and compulsory education should not be compulsory.
Universal jurisdiction should be applied to the crime against the environment.
Should social media comments be protected by free speech?
Gay couples should be allowed to adopt children.
Should pre-kindergarten (pre-k) be available to all children in the public school system?
Are private schools better than public ones?
Should there be WIFi in the classrooms?
Can people save nature using Technology (or destroy it)?
Should high schools offer hands-on trades classes that students can choose instead of academic electives?
Is college different from reality?
Should college athletes be paid?
College admissions should be solely based on academic achievement (merit).
Should the manufacturing of nuclear weapons be permitted?
Net neutrality should be restored.
Should students be graded on their handwriting?
How is peer pressure different from bullying?
Should school buses have an option of assigned seats?
Should marijuana be medically legal?
Should people who get caught with an illegally obtained firearm get a mandatory jail sentence?
Banning plastic bags and packaging: yes or no?
Should schools teach students to be global citizens instead of instilling nationalism?
Should high schools offer a real-world internship program for high school students as an elective?
Should homework be banned?
Is vocational and technical training more valuable for promoting the economy than standard university education?
Alternative energy resources should be explored and used to preserve natural resources.
Should education be privatized entirely?
Can people save nature by using technology?
Debate Topics for High School Students
Are private schools better than public schools?
Is banning fracking a good idea?
Should high school students not be allowed to use cell phones in school?
Is it better to have a real Christmas tree than a fake one?
Should disposable plastic items be banned?
Should high school seniors be exempt from having to wear school uniforms?
Will humans colonize another planet soon?
Should students be required to pass algebra to graduate?
How secure is mobile banking?
Is sex education necessary for middle school students?
Should microaggressions be punishable by law?
Same-sex marriage should not be allowed.
Should the U.S. government provide internet service to every citizen?
Money is a major source of motivation in the workplace.
Does technology intensify human communication skills?
Should school attendance be voluntary in high school?
Should there be a legally binding midnight curfew for all people of high school age?
Schools should focus on teaching students math and science instead of music and arts.
Should schools teach financial literacy to students?
Is year-round education is a good idea?
Schools should grade the students based on their knowledge.
How does global warming impact humanity?
Are organic foods healthier and more sustainable than non-organic foods?
Should seniors be allowed to miss school on an unofficial senior skip day without an attendance penalty?
Does a school uniform make learning more effective at school?
Should schools be year-round?
Should physical education be required of all high school students?
Home teaching is equivalent to school teaching.
Should the minimum age for voting be abolished?
Should humans be blamed for animal extinction?
Is allowing teachers to carry guns on campuses a good idea?
Should schools punish cyberbullying that occurs outside of school?
Detention should be abolished.
Should affirmative action be abolished?
Should schools require students to wear uniforms?
Should political topics be discussed in school?
Should schools have support groups for children with special needs?
Can all cars become electric?
Should high school students be required to work a paying job during the summer break?
Recent developments in Technology transform people’s interests: yes or no?
What is the impact of social media on teenagers and high school students?
Is homeschooling better than a public or private school education?
Should parents be required to vaccinate their children?
Should bilingual education be offered in schools?
Does cultural diversity in school benefit the students?
Should education be entirely privatized?
Should schools change how they grade students during the pandemic?
Should schools offer bonus cash to students for good grades?
Should students get limited access to the internet?
Should students use cell phones during classes?
Should schools be allowed to track students by academic level?
Should high school teachers have to have a degree in the subject matter field they are teaching?
The sale of fur must be banned.
Should college freshmen be required to live on campus?
Should people be fined for not recycling?
Does religion do more harm than good?
Is education necessary to be successful?
Is climate change already irreversible?
Are student loans exploitative?
Are genetically modified foods a viable solution?
Should martial arts classes be compulsory in school?
Should laptops be allowed in classrooms?
Is money a key factor in getting exoneration from crimes?
Is it appropriate to teach religion in schools?
Social media: More pros or more cons.
All high school athletes should be drug tested.
Should high school graduates be required to serve in the military for a few years before going to college or getting another type of job?
Should home-schooling parents be required to have a degree or training?
Is after-school detention an appropriate punishment for students who don’t turn in their homework?
Should teachers not be allowed to contact students through social media?
Should the school system require students to read and write cursive?
Should school uniforms be required?
Should Antarctica be conserved or exploited?
Are video games too violent for children?
Wild animals cannot be kept humanely in captivity.
Alternative energy can effectively replace fossil fuels.
What are the causes of increasing racism in the United States?
Is online teaching as effective as classroom teaching?
Are live animal exports ethically acceptable?
Should all parents be required to attend parenting classes before having a child?
Can computers replace teachers?
Should lawns be replaced with edible landscapes?
Does the traditional classroom address contemporary society’s needs?
Should high school grading systems be improved?
Should animals be kept in zoos?
Debate Motions for Secondary Schools
Girls should be encouraged and supported to enter the STEM research field.
Should every student be required to take a performing arts course?
Should police be allowed to use lethal force?
All school districts should offer school vouchers.
Do laws effectively keep up with changes in Technology?
Should sports be made compulsory in school?
Should high school students be able to get a credit card without having an adult sign for them?
Is social media a major source of distraction for learning students?
Effects of social media on teenagers.
Should drone attacks against specific targets be used for modern warfare?
Should citizens who do not vote be fined?
Is History (or another subject) actually an important subject in school?
Should nuclear weapons be banned across the globe?
Should the theory of creation be taught in schools?
Does giving homework meet its purpose?
Should teachers be allowed to keep guns for defense in school?
Should whaling be allowed?
Should schools teach students how to cook?
Should parents be allowed to choose their baby’s gender?
Should selective breeding of animals be prohibited?
All people should become vegetarian.
Should animal testing be banned?
Is it fair to require that all students learn at least one foreign language?
Should poetry units be removed from the curriculum?
Censorship should be made less lenient for educational documentaries
The use of drugs should be considered a mental issue.
Should animal products be banned?
Is co-education good or bad?
Should high school students be able to prevent their parents from seeing their medical records?
Should the legal drinking age be lowered from 21 to 18?
Will technology make people smarter?
Should schools give students more classes to pick from?
Passion or patriotism can be harmful in certain situations.
Would it be appropriate for high school classes to stay in session until 5 p.m. each day?
Books vs Television: Which platform provides more educational value?
Should there be a mandatory waiting period to purchase a gun?
Should animals be banned in circuses?
Should high school students be able to go into nightclubs where alcohol is sold so they can enjoy live music shows?
All teachers should get tenure.
Do elite schools promote categorical inequality?
What is organic farming’s role in agriculture’s future?
Cell phone radiation is dangerous and should be limited.
Should performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in sports?
The minimum wage for all countries should be the same.
Is it ever appropriate for the government to restrict freedom of speech?
Should mixed martial arts be banned?
Would it be acceptable for schools to randomly drug test students?
Should America give foreign aid to other countries?
Should public prayer be allowed in schools?
Should schools allow students to take mental health days as leaves?
Reality television is harming society.
Vaping should be banned.
Students are becoming way too dependent on technology.
Do gifted learning programs in schools benefit the students?
Should community service be a school requirement?
High school learners should not be allowed cell phones in school.
Should solar energy replace other forms?
Effects of violent cartoons on the psychological development of kids.
How can tech help to improve education?
What can it be done to stop global conflicts?
Is global warming a real issue?
Are video games too violent?
Nuclear weapons should be banned globally.
Police should be allowed to exercise lethal force.
Religion does more harm than good.
Should all students be made to take a cooking class?
Global warming and its impact on humanity.
Is animal testing necessary?
How is outdoor learning effective?
Should students and parents be held legally responsible for bullying?
Does tech intensify human communication skills?
Impact of social media on teenagers.
Marijuana should be legal.
Are single-sex schools better for students?
Is history a critical subject?
Should parents or guardians be required to attend parenting classes before having children?
Online learning vs. traditional learning. Which is more effective?
How can we engage high school learners in the class?
Do all museums need to have free admission?
Steve George is Blogger, a marketer and content writer. He has B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington. Read more about Mzuri Mag.