elementary school
Americannoun
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elementary schools
plural
noun
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a former name for primary school
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
According to Bleiker, becoming familiar with classroom routines at an earlier age may make it easier for children to adjust when they enter elementary school.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
My dad is from England, and naturally there are a number of photos of me wearing a hand-me-down West Ham United jersey to elementary school.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
The first occupied a roped-off parking lot beside an elementary school.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Unified officials quietly added $30 million to the elementary school arts budget for the 2024-25 school year amid ongoing accusations from Beutner, union leaders and parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Sister would teach elementary school in West Virginia, and Charlie would become a principal, then administrator in North Carolina.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
