grammar school

American  

noun

1. an elementary school.

2. British. a secondary school corresponding to a U.S. high school.

3. (formerly) a secondary school in which Latin and Greek are among the principal subjects taught.

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grammar school British  

noun

1. (esp formerly) a state-maintained secondary school providing an education with an academic bias for children who are selected by the eleven-plus examination, teachers' reports, or other means Compare secondary modern school comprehensive school

2. another term for elementary school

3. a private school, esp one controlled by a church

4. a secondary school forming part of the public education system

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Etymology

Origin of grammar school

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Dame Jenni had a grammar school education in her home town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, before going on to study French and drama at the University of Hull.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

“There were books when my daughters were in grammar school and high school that stated we were extinct,” said Art Morales, an elder and historian in the tribe.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2025

Educated at a grammar school in Watford, Barrell was a professional rugby player with Saracens before becoming the club's academy director and, until last year, the RFU's head of performance programmes and pathways.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2025

One school was a mixed grammar school in a predominantly white, middle-class rural area and another was a mixed comprehensive school in a predominantly white, working-class urban area.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2024

In his grammar school classroom, however, the boy already makes students around him uneasy.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Related Words

• grade school
• primary school