Introduction. In the context of general secondary education modernization and the growing importance of socially oriented competencies, the issue of pedagogical support for entrepreneurial thinking formation in high
school students becomes particularly relevant. Pedagogical science lacks clarity in interpreting this phenomenon as a pedagogical category, complicating its purposeful development and diagnosis. Methodology and Methods. The study employs theoretical analysis, comparative analysis, systematization, and generalization of domestic and international scholarly approaches to the conceptualization of entrepreneurial thinking as a pedagogical category. Results. The results define entrepreneurial thinking as a complex integrative personal characteristic encompassing motivational value, cognitive, activity-based, and reflective components that ensure student capacity for independent goal setting, proactive participation in educational and project-based activities, strategy selection, and self-evaluation. The esults clarify essential characteristics of the phenomenon and identify structural components accompanied by corresponding developmental indicators. Scientific Novelty. A pedagogically grounded interpretation of entrepreneurial thinking as a distinct pedagogical category has been substantiated, and a structural model with corresponding diagnostic indicators has been developed and theoretically validated. Practical Significance. The identified patterns can be applied in organizing the educational process aimed at developing entrepreneurial thinking in high school students and in designing diagnostic tools for assessing its formation level.