primary school
Americannoun
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a school usually covering the first three or four years of elementary school and sometimes kindergarten.
noun
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(in Britain) a school for children below the age of 11. It is usually divided into an infant and a junior section
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(in the US and Canada) a school equivalent to the first three or four grades of elementary school, sometimes including a kindergarten
Etymology
Origin of primary school
First recorded in 1795–1805
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ssentamu put together a team around Good Shepherd Primary school where he teaches.
From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026
Primary school enrolment doubled and HIV levels dropped because of an anti-Aids campaign spearheaded by the president.
From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026
They said that the EA was bringing forward a plan to move the affected pupils to the recently closed Balnamore Primary school in Ballymoney, County Antrim.
From BBC • Nov. 21, 2025
Primary school numbers in London are predicted to fall by another 52,000 pupils by 2028, double the national average, according to analysis seen by the BBC.
From BBC • Sep. 16, 2024
Primary school students attended class six days a week.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.