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Synonyms

middle school

American  

noun

middle schools plural
  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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

Middle school students engage in flag football and attract students whose parents don’t want them to play 11-man tackle football for fear of head injuries.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026

Middle school made me feel miserable and inadequate.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

Middle school went on, and eventually she stopped messaging me and I stopped messaging her.

From Slate • Aug. 12, 2025

Middle school teachers in core academic classes would have no more than 150 students; their high school counterparts would not have more than 160.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2023

Middle school is typically about fitting in, and that’s all I wanted to do.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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