alternative school

American

noun

any public or private school having a special curriculum, especially an elementary or secondary school offering a more flexible program of study than a traditional school.

Etymology

Origin of alternative school

First recorded in 1970–75

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.

He said the family would now have to go on the waiting list for an alternative school place and see what happened.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

Then, over the objections of many in the audience who demanded a chance to comment before a vote was taken, the board officially transferred Dressback from Cahaba Heights Elementary to the alternative school.

From Salon • Sep. 19, 2024

He went to Coast High, a loosely structured alternative school in Huntington Beach.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2024

She was sent to the district’s alternative school for 30 days and told she could have faced criminal charges.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 25, 2024

William Holmes, 50, the sole survivor of the shooting and the founder of Starts Right Here, the alternative school program, also delivered a final message to his former student, prosecutors said.

From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023