trade school

American  

noun

• trade schools
  plural

1. a high school giving instruction chiefly in the skilled trades.

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trade school British  

noun

1. a school or teaching unit organized by an industry or large company to provide trade training, apprentice education, and similar courses

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• trade schools
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of trade school

First recorded in 1885–90

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trade school

He told ProPublica that he wants to transform lives and guide students to college, trade school or the military.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

More students are pursuing trade school and other job-credential programs instead of a four-year college degree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Prior to the pandemic, "people weren't really talking about going to trade school, vocational schools, stuff like that. It was like: 'Go to college, get your four years.'"

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

My wife and I started an annual scholarship for high school students in rural North Carolina going into a trade school, and the trade school helped us set it up.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 20, 2026

In 1951, I finished my trade school courses, and like clockwork, even though I wasn't a US citizen, my US Army draft notice arrived in the mail.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

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