middle school

American  

noun

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

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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

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Etymology

Origin of middle school

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Did we mention she’s still in middle school?

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

But Talarico, a former middle school teacher and seminarian, has energized Democrats, who hope that record-setting campaign fundraising could help flip the seat.

From Salon • May 30, 2026

"At elite sports schools, talented students were usually selected and trained from elementary or middle school."

From BBC • May 22, 2026

The school eventually became secular, non-military, and co-ed, and you’d know it now as the Harvard-Westlake Schools, private middle school and college prep campuses.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

They were both taller than Max and his friends, and they moved with the same confidence as kids in the middle school recruitment videos Mom and Dad had watched with him.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• junior high
• secondary school