primary school

noun

1. a school usually covering the first three or four years of elementary school and sometimes kindergarten.

2. elementary school.

primary school

noun

1. (in Britain) a school for children below the age of 11. It is usually divided into an infant and a junior section

2. (in the US and Canada) a school equivalent to the first three or four grades of elementary school, sometimes including a kindergarten

Word History and Origins

Origin of primary school¹

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

The annual report for 2024/25 said primary school attendance in the county was "moving rapidly" towards pre-pandemic levels, but desired secondary school attendance as "slower to recover".

From BBC

It is a warm Monday morning in early September, with shouts and songs drifting across the parking lot from the nearby primary school.

From BBC

Obesity rates have risen sharply over recent decades, with more than a quarter of adults and a fifth of children at the end of primary school classed as obese.

From BBC

Research by the charity Women in Sport discovered that a million teenage girls, who enjoyed games at primary school, gave them up after moving on.

From BBC

The chancellor will also pledge to fund a library in every primary school in England.

From BBC

Related Words

• grade school 
• grammar school