elementary school

noun

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

elementary school

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of elementary school¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

My favorite memories with Autumn flip like a slideshow in my head, including spontaneous karaoke and hopscotch behind the public elementary school.

Read more on Literature

At the elementary school named in her honor, four grades were housed in each classroom.

Read more on Literature

The Constitution explicitly grants power to the legislative and judicial branches too, which we all learned in elementary school is called the balance of power.

Read more on Salon

It was fun when I tried it in the parking lot of my elementary school on my Columbia Silver Fox and it remains just as fun today.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When we passed an elementary school off Western Avenue, Barrera screamed in Spanish, “Take in the kids because la migra is driving around!”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• grade school 
• grammar school