school year

American  

noun

• school years
  plural

1. the months of the year during which school is open and attendance at school is required.

2. academic year.

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school year British  

noun

1. a twelve-month period, (in Britain) usually starting in late summer and continuing for three terms until the following summer, during which pupils remain in the same class

2. the time during this period when the school is open

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• school years
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of school year

First recorded in 1855–60

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

school year

That fall, as the school year began anew, her incoming kindergarten class had eight Hispanic students.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

The academic year is nine months long, so her budget of $1,500 per month comes to $13,500 for the school year, or $6,750 per semester.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026

The state budgeted about $4.1 billion for TK in the 2025-26 school year, alongside an additional $2.8 billion for its state preschool program.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Half of France's secondary schools were missing at least one teacher as the school year started in September, according to a survey of more than 1,000 schools conducted by the Snes-FSU teacher union.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Mama touched her face, then said, “There’s a school only twenty minutes away. Hanako, we’re going to start you in sixth grade, and you’ll be in seventh when the new school year starts in April.”

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

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