Sunday school

American  

noun

1. a school, now usually in connection with a church, for religious instruction on Sunday.

2. the members of such a school.

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Sunday school British  

noun

1. 1. a school for the religious instruction of children on Sundays, usually held in a church hall and formerly also providing secular education

   2. ( as modifier )

      a Sunday-school outing

2. the members of such a school

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Etymology

Origin of Sunday school

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Every doll, every toy, every report card, every artwork she proudly brought home from school and Sunday school, her bike, hundreds of photos, and boxes upon boxes of keepsakes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

He’s held onto those letters for decades, from a women’s Bible study group, a Sunday school class, and a man who offered to paint his house for free.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

Religion, as I joyfully taught my second-graders in Sunday school, was about faith and community—something beyond transactions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

“They did scouts together, Sunday school together, played soccer for the same club, almost in the same positions. They were inseparable.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2025

The earliest memory I have is of a woman who picked me up on Sunday mornings to take me to Sunday school.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers