upper school

American  

noun

1. a scholastic division, especially in a private school, including the terminal secondary grades.

---

upper school British  

noun

1. the senior pupils in a secondary school, usually those in the fourth and fifth years and above

---

Etymology

Origin of upper school

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

“The overall process ... has made an impact,” said Jordan Church, dean of students at Harvard-Westlake upper school.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025

The school plans for an after-school electric bus service to get students to River Park, but it won’t be an auxiliary lot for the upper school campus.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2025

While Maret’s 46 players are the most in school history, Engelberg recruited many of them from the hallways in the 320-student upper school.

From Washington Post • Sep. 23, 2022

Tuition was $29,000 annually compared with, for example, Sidwell Friends, which charges students in its upper school around $48,000.

From Washington Post • Oct. 29, 2021

My friends and I had now moved to the upper school, and our friendly competition got even more competitive.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai