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.
The department said that 18,472 school age children up to the age of 16 had a diagnosis of autism in 2025/26.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
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
She chose an option that would allow four children under compulsory school age and up to 10 children under the age of 12.
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.