elementary school
Americannoun
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.
“Good evening, everyone,” Bass began over jeers, in the tone of an elementary school teacher who knows her students are going to act extra.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Coldplay will feature in a collaboration with PS22 Chorus, an acclaimed choir of students from a New York public elementary school.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Slate’s headquarters in Troy, Mich., sits about a hundred yards away from his childhood elementary school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
The school asked Tipton to continue teaching the boys, and when she refused, the district transferred her to an elementary school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
“I’m going to be working too much. Dad and I are going to sign you up at the elementary school down the street. You’ll start Monday.”
From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
