school year
Americannoun
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school years
plural
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the months of the year during which school is open and attendance at school is required.
noun
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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
-
the time during this period when the school is open
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of school year
First recorded in 1855–60
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.
Just over 300 students have enrolled for the new school year at John Paul II Diocesan Educational Unit, one of the few schools open in the port city of La Guaira.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
The elementary school lost 10% of its enrolled students between 2021 and the 2025-2026 school year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
While vaccination rates in Ohio have fallen, Cleveland is making improvements — rates for children entering kindergarten there have jumped from 68 percent a few years ago to 76 percent this past school year.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
The beginning of the school year is a really busy time for you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
One of the girls I remembered from last school year whispered in Lettie’s ear, and her eyes grew big before they all broke out into giggles.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
