coeducation

American  

[koh-ej-oo-key-shuhn] / ˌkoʊ ɛdʒ ʊˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the joint education of the sexes at the same institution and in the same classes.

---

coeducation British  

/ ˌkəʊɛdjʊˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. instruction in schools, colleges, etc, attended by both sexes

---

Other Word Forms

• coeducational adjective
• coeducationally adverb

Etymology

Origin of coeducation

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; co- + education

Explanation

When kids of all genders attend school together, it's called coeducation. Before the 19th century, all-girl and all-boy schools were much more common than coeducation. Coeducation is the norm in Western countries, where single-sex schools are the exception to the rule. In majority Muslim countries, it’s far more common to have separate schools for boys and girls. A British school, Archbishop Tenison's Church of England High School, is the oldest known school to embrace coeducation, admitting both girls and boys when it opened in 1714. Coeducation dates from the 1850s, adding the prefix co- ("together") to education.

Example Sentences

“I believe in coeducation and I don’t see a logical reason for separation,” said Shah Kpalwakh, 35, a journalism professor who studied at the university after Taliban rule.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2021

Laurie Saxton, a 1978 graduate who is now director of news and public relations at Sewanee, said even though the admission of women was controversial, her research shows the “clamor for coeducation was resounding.”

From Washington Times • Oct. 13, 2019

“When we studied coeducation from every imaginable angle, we parsed out its costs and its consequences,” Dr. Bowen told the Daily Princetonian in 2011.

From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2016

Dr. Bowen was named provost in 1967 during a tumultuous transition to coeducation under Robert F. Goheen, the president at the time.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2016

The introduction of coeducation in the secondary schools is also due to the activity of this association, supported by Professor Wallis, who had investigated coeducation in the United States.

From The Modern Woman's Rights Movement A Historical Survey by Schirmacher, Kaethe