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

Arav is autistic and has learning needs, and stayed on for an extra year at his mainstream primary school before moving to Evergreen School.

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The mayor's office claimed Sir Sadiq Khan had "started more new council homes for Londoners than any time since the 1970s and has funded free school meals to all state primary school children".

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At primary school, we loved football but never had a team.

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An initial six-week public consultation about the plan to shut MMS and merge six first and primary schools into three is currently under way.

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Campaigners asked for another option, which included splitting the school campus up and building a secondary school in a new location while keeping a primary school in Tobermory.

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Related Words

• grade school 
• grammar school