secondary school

noun

1. a high school or a school of corresponding grade, ranking between a primary school and a college or university.

secondary school

noun

1. a school for young people, usually between the ages of 11 and 18

Other Word Forms

• secondary-school adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of secondary school¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

A secondary school in Cheshire has been shut to deep clean the building after high levels of pupil sickness.

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Attendance is higher in primary schools and so far in this academic year it has reached 93.4%, compared with 90.3% for secondary schools.

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In February, a council report ranked the borough 29th out of 32 for primary absences, and 30th for secondary schools.

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Authorities there have now ordered all secondary schools and colleges to close.

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Armed men have killed a teacher and abducted at least 25 students in an attack on a girls' secondary school in north-western Nigeria, police say.

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Related Words

• high school 
• junior high school 
• middle school 
• prep school 
• preparatory school 
• senior high school