summer school

American  

noun

summer schools plural

1. study programs offered by a school, college, or university during the summer to those who wish to obtain their degrees more quickly, who must make up credits, or who wish to supplement their education.

2. a school offering such programs.

---

summer school British  

noun

1. a school, academic course, etc, held during the summer

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• summer schools
  plural

Etymology

Origin of summer school

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

summer school

The beach is only covered by lifeguards during the summer school holidays, which have yet to start.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The beach is currently covered by lifeguards every day during the summer school holidays, but local residents said the service was needed for longer.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

The state’s schools—once among the U.S.’s worst-performing—have made gains with intensive tutoring, mandatory summer school for struggling pupils and a back-to-basics approach that emphasizes phonics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

So was increasing classroom instructional time by promoting summer school and offering mini-academies during winter and spring break, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2025

Last year they stopped having summer school because there wasn’t enough money.

From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate