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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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of summer school

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

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.

See Examples For:

When the blaze erupted during summer school session, L.A.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 30, 2026

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

From BBC Jul. 14, 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

The superintendent said that summer school increased the graduation rate from 86% to 87% as seniors were able to complete required course work.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 22, 2024

“There’s that summer school brain kicking in,” Dylan says.

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

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