Though the name was not to be coined until the 60s the music could trace its pedigree into the late 40s at least and was Tin Pan Alley's attempts to sanitize rock'n'roll,with trademark sounds like tremolo guitars and strings.
The music was pure white and offered a less threatening alternative to black music as far as American radio stations were concerned. Males were known by the generic title of Teen Idols but females were Pixie Girls as defined by Robin Ward,Andrea Carroll,the Pixies 3 and others who followed in the wake of the Poni Tails.The name was attached in the last 5 years in Germany where the name High School Pop became a better description than the clumsy Teen idol Pop
Which is the generally held theory but the ideas behind it were the work of one man-BUDDY HOLLY whose vision was to make rock'n'roll music more acceptable to the media
Wishing to record rock'n'roll music with strings is what started it and it led to virtually everyone else cashing and in the U K Adam Faith more or less built his career on it till the Merseybeat era began.
The Beatles link with High School Pop was not their music but their songs and inspiration which launched Peter & Gordon,Billy J Kramer and Gerry & the Pacemakers.The spirit and sounds of high school pop were carried on by Gary Lewis & the Playboys and Hermans Hermits.
Pet Clark recorded a batch of high school pop in the UK but her American career began with a series of singles which played Burt Bacharach at his own game
End of History Lesson.
Here will be found many High School Poppers who in some cases were No Hit Wonders but who were as good as many of those who got the hits every year.
I make no apologies for such a profusion of females.At least this site looks good.