school age
Americannoun
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the age set by law for children to start school attendance.
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the period of school attendance required by law.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of school age
First recorded in 1735–45
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.
Childcare supervision services are offered for children between the ages of 6 and 17; some accept early education and elementary school age students.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2026
When my eldest reached school age, I couldn’t imagine sending him to a typical public school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
Children aged between two and five and at school age also receive immunisation administered as a nasal spray.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2025
Currently a childminder is permitted to care for six children under the age of 12 but only three of those can be under compulsory school age and only one can be under a year old.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2025
Less than half of all African children of school age attended any school at all, and only a tiny number of Africans were graduated from high school.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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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.