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Synonyms

middle school

American  

noun

  1. a school intermediate between elementary school and high school, usually encompassing grades five or six through eight.

middle school British  

noun

  1. (in England and Wales) a school for children aged between 8 or 9 and 12 or 13 Compare first school

"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 middle school

First recorded in 1830–40

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.

In middle school, Ortiz enrolled in theater classes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

“In middle school, I just observed around me this mental health crisis within my generation,” Hall said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Only 43% of Chicago elementary and middle school students can read at grade level, and 27% were proficient in math on state tests in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

The test gains aren’t sticking once children reach middle school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

“We’re just from the, uh, middle school Welcome Wagon,” she said.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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.