primary school
Americannoun
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a school usually covering the first three or four years of elementary school and sometimes kindergarten.
noun
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(in Britain) a school for children below the age of 11. It is usually divided into an infant and a junior section
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(in the US and Canada) a school equivalent to the first three or four grades of elementary school, sometimes including a kindergarten
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of primary school
First recorded in 1795–1805
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.
Two coachloads of visitors arrived while AFP was visiting the village -- one of primary school children, the other of Polish tourists.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
The school received some fans, "but that doesn't actually lower the temperature in the rooms," said Gaelle Roubere, of the parents' association at the Marsoulan primary school.
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
Three-fourths of school-going children couldn’t read or understand a simple story by the end of primary school.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
The amount of the bonus is £100 for each primary school child and £150 for each secondary school child.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
In 1938, Helmuth graduates from primary school and starts at the Oberbau, the middle school at Brackdamm.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
