primary school

noun

1
: a school usually including the first three grades of elementary school but sometimes also including kindergarten
2

Examples of primary school in a Sentence

She goes to primary school.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The number of children entering primary school in 2023 reached the highest level in over two decades, according to Wind Information, before dropping in 2024, the year her son enrolled. Anniek Bao, CNBC, 21 June 2025 After Victoria completed primary school in 2018, her family had no means to send her for further education. Ogar Monday, Christian Science Monitor, 17 June 2025 As the World Economic Forum's The Future of Jobs and Skills report estimated back in 2016, 65 percent of children entering primary school that year were expected to work in job types that did not yet exist—and the experts consulted believe that many of them still do not. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025 London has 525 near primary schools, far more than any other city in the ranking. Tanya Mohn, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for primary school

Word History

Etymology

translation of French école primaire

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of primary school was in 1792

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Cite this Entry

“Primary school.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primary%20school. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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