Participation in senior secondary education in Australia has experienced tremendous growth since the late 1960s. Much of this growth has come from young people who were the first in their families to participate in schooling at this level. Many of the changes in participation and in curriculum offerings have been documented as part of a number of longitudinal surveys of young people. This paper summarises some of the knowledge gained from this research, and from research conducted by one state education department over the period. (Contains 3 figures, 2 tables, and 3 footnotes.)