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.

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summer school British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• summer schools
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of summer school

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

summer school

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

All of sudden a solution was found to ensure the nursing support will be made available at each summer school.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

During summer school, Ruiz said, she was called into a classroom where kindergartners were repeating their parents’ worries — often, what parents heard on the news — but not understanding the gravity of the situation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2025

Amy Cribb, an access coordinator at Swansea University, is part of a team running outreach sessions at schools and colleges and a free summer school for people who are under-represented at university, including young carers.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2025

Hudson, Harriett, and I had the same teacher as everyone else, and yet we’re the only ones from our class wasting away in summer school.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

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