secondary school

American  

noun

secondary schools plural

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

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secondary school British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• secondary-school
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• secondary schools
  plural

Etymology

Origin of secondary school

First recorded in 1825–35

Compare meaning

How does secondary-school compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• secondary school vs. high school

Example Sentences

The brothers have spent almost their entire lives side by side, apart from an "unusual" period in secondary school where they were put in different classes.

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026

Oakwood, like several other mainstream schools in the area, only provides education for children up to P4, meaning pupils must move to another school for the reminder of their primary and secondary school education.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026

The two-dose vaccine will be available to pupils currently in their last year of secondary school and those aged 18 to 25 heading to university or residential further education for the first time this autumn.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

Each year the government sets targets for the number of student teachers it needs to recruit in each individual secondary school subject.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

In secondary school she had been the bubbly tomboy, very tall and skinny and straightforward, not armed with the mysteriousness of girls.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

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