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Synonyms

elementary school

American  

noun

  1. the lowest school giving formal instruction, teaching the rudiments of learning, and extending usually from six to eight years.

elementary school British  

noun

  1. a former name for primary school

  2. Also called (in the US): grade school.   grammar school.  a state school in which instruction is given for the first six to eight years of a child's education

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of elementary school

First recorded in 1835–45

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.

As an advocate for the local library told me, by the next day, all the children at the local elementary school had heard about Gamble.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

Stress increases cortisol levels, which in turn drives cravings for quick, energy-dense foods — carbs, sugar, the kinds of things that dominate elementary school diets.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

“I always liked to run,” Rush said of her elementary school days.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

He was an exceptional athlete back in elementary school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

“You were in elementary school when you thought that,” Ivy said.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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.