school year

noun

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

2. academic year.

school year

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of school year¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

There were academic gains — 35% of students participating in the after-school reading program in the 2023-24 school year improved by at least one grade level, according to the department’s 2024 report.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At the end of the 2024–25 school year, after accounting for graduates and families known to have relocated, 18,232 newcomer students were enrolled and expected to return this fall.

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I looked back at a note she had given me at the end of the school year in 2018, still pinned on my bulletin board.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Absence for holidays is not approved in the first half term of the school year but there is a flexible approach after that.

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"You don't realise between 16 to 21, those ages are when you have to start thinking about what you want to do with your life. The school years matter," he said.

Read more on BBC