A class president is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council. In a grade school, class presidents are generally elected by the class, a constituency composed of all students in a grade level.
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The practice of electing a class president is found in most US and Israeli schools, but is not prevalent in other parts of the world.
Class presidents are different from the student body president in that they represent only a specific class of students, rather than the entire student body. Student-body presidents generally lead and represent the whole of the student body, and both positions are commonly confused with each other. Research has shown that young women are less likely to serve as class presidents than male students in co-ed learning environments.
Duties and term
The primary duties of the class president usually include working with students to resolve problems, and informing school leaders and the student council of ideas emanating from the class. The president also has the responsibility of leading class cabinet meetings and organizing student activities and events. The term of office for a class president is one year in most schools. The student holding the office usually has the option of running again for the coming year. Also, the class president in some schools is in charge of building funds for the class to use for activities, such as prom. Students in this position are also often looked to as token student voice representatives.
Senior-class president
In some schools, there is a senior-class president. The senior-class president is elected by popular vote and serves as the leader of the senior class in a high school or college. He or she is sometimes responsible for planning some of the events surrounding graduation. After graduation, the senior-class president is sometimes put in charge of planning class reunions in the years to come.