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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.

I attended a public elementary school in a small mill town in western Pennsylvania, and we had what we called “retention drills,” perhaps to make it sound less frightening.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

They decided 8-year-old Briana should stay at the same elementary school, to keep her with her friends and teacher.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

At least four states — Kansas, Utah, Minnesota and Tennessee — are considering prohibiting devices in at least part of elementary school.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

At Oona Herman's elementary school in San Francisco, stickers of bright-haired characters from Kpop Demon Hunters have become the hottest currency.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

They were there for the fifth-grade play and my elementary school graduation.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

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.